Shifts in the Days
by Shura Pirate
Summary: Set about two years after the series: There's something changing between them. Leon isn't as enclosed in his own fortress of ice and Sora's finding it easier to approach him, especially now that they're partners. "I wonder why he's loosened up," Sora wondered aloud. May wanted to strangle her naive friend. "You idiot; he's like that around you!"
1. Chapter 1

AN: So, this popped into my head and I figured, why not post it. The chapters will vary in length. They're kind of like connected drabbles.

Disclaimer: Kaleido Star is not mine. I'm just interested in exploring the characters.

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There was just something incredible about watching Leon perform.

He glided through the air, silver strands floating behind him. She could have mistaken it for star dust.

He let go of the trapeze and twisted his lithe body to the next one.

She hadn't known he would be in the main practice room, but instead of leaving she found herself climbing up the ladder to the other side of the practice area.

Now she stood by the pole, waiting for the right moment to join in.

This wasn't the first time she walked into the middle of his practice. In fact, he's walked into the middle of hers as well.

As partners, they've reached a sort of understanding and better comfort level with one another. If they ever caught the other in motion, the newcomer was voicelessly welcomed to come up.

It really wasn't a choice for either party involved. He drew her in as she drew him in.

It was a strange phenomenon.

She recalled the first time he walked into the middle of her practice. It had been a little aggravating for her partner stood there watching for a few moments and then climbed up without her consent. She had not noticed him there so when she did a backflip to the next trapeze she most certainly hadn't counted on someone grabbing her hands.

She remembered having to hold back a very loud shriek when she caught the sight of his amused grey eyes.

She let out a pout at the recollection. 'The jerk.'

After that incident, he made sure that she saw him there before jumping in. Although, some of the times she only saw him for a scant two seconds before he decided to practice with her.

'At least he gives me some sort of warning.' She lightly shook her head at his antics.

As of late, she just assumes that he will be there and it saves her from having mini heart attacks. She even playfully berates him for missing practice if he doesn't show up—which doesn't happen often.

They tend to practice together more often than not.

She never would have expected to have such a partnership with a man like Leon.

He was quiet and enjoyed his personal space. She almost always found him reading during Kalos' pep talks and show breakdowns; yet, he knows what's going on despite the appearance of not paying attention.

A few times, she's found him walking along the rafters far above the stage. Yuri told her that he likes to check on the stage equipment before each performance.

It felt kind of nice that he did that.

Secretly, she suspected that he did it for all of them, whether he wanted to acknowledge that or not.

Once, she had nonchalantly mentioned that she saw him up there. He shrugged and said that taking a look never hurt anyone.

When he said that, she noticed that his eyes were slightly glazed over as if lost in a memory.

She wondered if he had seen a terrible accident caused by faulty equipment. From what she learned of his past, Leon and his sister went through a lot of harsh experiences from all sorts of circuses and shows.

She was sure that, despite the star that he was now, he had performed in low quality places that weren't the safest or the most welcoming.

She felt blessed to have found the Kaleido Stage so early in her career.

Her eyes snapped back to the trapezes.

'Oh, he's heading in my direction.' She unhooked the trapeze on her end and waited.

When he was close by, she jumped off of the platform to meet him.

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He watched as she made her way over.

She flipped, tucked herself into a ball in mid-air, and then stretched her limbs out. Her head was thrown back as she enjoyed the moment.

He recognized the move.

It was from the first show they performed when the two main characters met in the beginning scene of Saiyuki.

Well, technically, they didn't perform that first show together.

He had seen that ridiculous pink monstrosity she was wearing and high tailed it out of there.

After suffering through humiliating performances in his younger years, he just couldn't stomach the idea of revisiting those times, especially now when he was a topnotch performer.

He could afford to walk off the stage.

'Did she do that move on purpose?' He adjusted himself to swing from his bent knees.

His hands grabbed hers. Grey eyes peered at her expression.

She smiled at him, unaware of his thoughts.

He gave a mental shrug. 'She probably just likes doing that move.'

It was strange that she took as much delight from the simple moves as she did the high risk ones.

He felt her loosen the grip of her left hand. In response, he released his hold on the left and slightly tightened his grip on the right.

Her free left hand artfully curved upwards as they swung across the practice room. She pointed her toes and then bent one of her legs. He watched as she closed her eyes with a relaxed smile on her face.

'It must be the feeling of motion that she relishes.'

He could relate to that.

When they neared a trapeze, she looked up at him.

Catching the signal, he swung her in that direction and released her hand.

As he looked upon her, he wondered why they continued to practice together—why he had no issue with the intrusion of his personal space.

The first time he voluntarily practiced with her, the first time that he didn't come into the same room because Kalos or Mia requested it, he came to ask her something regarding their next show.

However, the words stayed in his mouth.

Her twists and curls, the liveliness expressed in every motion and gesture, even to the tips of her fingers and the ends of her feet, all of it reminded him of the emotions he experienced in their first show of Swan Lake.

He remembered the energy, the anticipation and the sense of timelessness as they performed. It felt like they could go on and on and he wouldn't grow tired of it.

Most importantly, he remembered the peace.

Inside, the bitterness, the despair and regret settled like calm waters after a storm. A foreign serenity entered his heart and mind.

He felt rejuvenated and refreshed, as if he had been a thirsty wanderer who finally found a well in a barren land.

After that show, a piece of that energy stayed with him.

He had wondered, as Sora continued practicing, if she was the source of it. It was hard for him to tell if it was just the fact that they performed the very act that his sister longed to do or if it was a result of Sora herself.

Or even a mixture of both.

Leon, always one to act as he saw fit, climbed up the ladder.

To this day, he will never forget the size of her shocked brown doe eyes as he grasped her hands. He even recalled her tightly clamped lips as she undoubtedly held in a loud exclamation.

He held back a smirk at the memory.

That piece of energy came alive when they practiced; leading him to confirm that it was a result of Sora.

He found that he could live with that.

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End of this drabble.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Just a reminder, the lengths of these drabbles will not be consistent. But do note that they are related and connected to one another.

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They were in the practice room again.

Leon came in to find Sora barely starting her stretches. She chirruped a greeting to which he gave a nod back. She smiled and then bent over to touch her toes. Putting his jacket aside, he walked over to stretch as well—but not too close to her, of course.

He may be more comfortable with her, but he still required a certain amount of personal space. It wasn't a slight; it was just his preference.

After stretching his arms and slightly twisting his torso, he smoothly bent over backwards. As his fingers grazed the floor, he pondered upon their practices.

Within these last few weeks they've been arriving to the room around the same time.

'We must have gotten used to coming at the time the other one does.' There really was only one explanation for that; he just hadn't been aware that he changed about half of his practice times to her times.

'Though,' he mused, 'she must have done the same.' For how else would they be constantly meeting if only he had adjusted his schedule?

He straightened up and switched to working on his legs.

Sora went up to the trapezes while he continued.

Was the realization unsettling? 'Perhaps, but it is nothing worth mulling over.'

Was the change negative? 'No.'

Did he want it to continue?

He paused in adjusting his practice fingerless gloves. The past weeks zoomed through his mind and the general atmosphere he found himself in.

'Yes.'

With that, he finished fixing his gloves and climbed up the ladder.

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End of Drabble.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I recall making a deal with myself that I'd only do one story at a time...Ha! Well, as you can see, that didn't work out. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Tangled Magic.

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'It's been about four months since we started practicing together,' he mused.

Leon's hand gripped the bar; one arm carried the duty of holding his entire weight.

He bent his arm as he focused on bringing his body into a horizontal position. His muscles burned as he attempted to keep his body straight.

He looked up at the ceiling and kept the position for as long as he could.

With an exhale of breath, he relaxed his body.

He looked over to where Sora was. Since they practice together so often, they were able to test out some moves for future productions.

Other moves were just challenges they presented to the other.

'Has she found the rope yet?' He noticed that she was close to it.

Today, he brought out the long, thick corded rope with a small noose at the end of it.

The last time he brought it out, she challenged him to catch it with his foot while wearing a blindfold. The first go he felt his foot graze the opening, but didn't enter it. He readjusted his mental calculation and he was able to get it in the second time. He heard her sputter out nonsense at his success.

He was only sorry he didn't see her expression.

She swung pass the rope. When she turned to look at him, he could see her brown eyes gleaming with determination and the ends of her mouth quirked up.

'I'd say she wants a challenge.'

Both made their ways to opposite platforms. Since it was one of the larger practice rooms, there were a couple more trapezes. However, he was sure to place the rope where there was a wider gap between two trapezes in order to prevent any tangling.

"What do you challenge me to do?" Her voice called out with unmasked eagerness.

He let out a small smirk.

"Catch my hands as I spin from that." His chin gestured to the rope.

Her hands rested on her hips with a huff. "Two hands? Isn't that too lenient?"

A silver brow rose. "You think you only need one hand?"

She tilted her head up. "I don't think; I know."

He felt his smirk widen. "Alright then. What's your bet?"

Sora had started the tradition of placing non-monetary bets a few weeks ago. He still wasn't sure how she got him to play along, but he did.

The bets started off small: the loser had to buy the other's choice of drink from the vending machine; other times Sora won a bunch of lollipops while he won a bag of pastries…small stuff like that.

Very soon, they started to place bigger bets, starting with buying lunch and then picking up the other's cleaning duties around Kaleido Stage.

The latest bet that Sora had to do was wash a day's worth of dishes when he requested it of her.

He knew from the smile on her face that she thought it wouldn't be so bad.

He made sure to prove her wrong by bringing in loads of food to the after party the following night. He had never seen her with her mouth so open—she obviously knew that he would be calling in his bet for that day.

She had asked if he cooked all of that, no doubt trying to gauge how much there would be to wash. He replied in the negative, stating that it was all food from a restaurant. When her shoulders relaxed, he felt compelled to inform her that he, of course, had to reheat the food in the microwave and stove.

"I am sorry to say that I misjudged the amount of food that fit in certain containers. It was unfortunate, but I had to switch out multiple dishes and pots in order to accommodate the large portions."

It had been a while since he was on the receiving end of her wrath. Her kind and energetic personality made her slow to anger.

He was quite proud of the fact that he could bring it out in a matter of seconds.

He focused onto the present as she spoke up. "My bet…" her fingers tapped against her hip, "if I win, you'll have to clean my room for a week."

He slowly blinked at that bet. 'Is she aware of the implications of that statement?'

By her huge grin, he'd say not. Well then, he'll just have to enlighten her.

"When you say room," he started out slowly, "are you referring to your dressing room or your bedroom?"

"My bedr—" her eyes widened as she realized what she was saying.

"N-No! I meant my dressing room!"

Soon after that statement, he noticed her cheeks tinted a rosy red. 'That's not the right choice either,' he thought with some amusement.

Her hands frantically fluttered before her. "Gah! Not my dressing room!"

He leaned against the pole. "Is there some other room you'd prefer me to clean?"

Her hand covered her eyes in embarrassment.

"Forget about the cleaning bet. I'm changing it," she groaned out.

He allowed her a short moment of mercy.

"Ok, I get to drive your car for a week."

"You have a license?" He couldn't recall ever seeing her in a car.

"Yeah, I just like to take public transportation. You get to meet all sorts of people that way."

'Only she would make friends with random strangers.' He nearly rolled his eyes.

He considered her bet. "I'll agree only if I'm in the car while you're driving it…if you win, that is."

"Deal!" she chirruped. "What's your bet, partner?"

"You have to clean my car for a week."

She tilted her head at that. "If I washed the car the previous day, I really don't have anything to clean the next day."

He inwardly grinned at her naivety.

"The first day, you'll vacuum the inside of the car; the next day, the windows; next, the main body and the next day the tires and rims followed by—"

"Alright, I get it!" Her stance spoke of her irritation.

'This will be interesting,' he thought with no small amount of humor.

"We have a deal?" he asked. She replied with an enthusiastic affirmative.

She called out to him once last time before the challenge started, "I get three chances, right?"

With his nod, she jumped off of the platform.

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She waited as Leon twisted the rope.

'This is my last chance.'

The first time was a practice test. She only grazed his arm with that try. The official first try she completely missed and her hand momentarily touched his fast moving hair.

Despite the speed he was going at, she was able to feel the silkiness of the silver locks. 'Who knew Leon takes care of his hair?' Though, she supposed it could mainly be his genetics.

The second time, their fingers brushed. She wondered if she was the only one that felt a strange thrill from the contact...

This third and final time, she is determined to make it.

It wasn't that she wanted to drive his car that badly. While it was a nice, sleek smoky grey color, she wasn't a car enthusiast to truly appreciate the make and model of the vehicle. 'Knowing Leon, it probably is a high end car.'

What drove her was more simplistic: she was challenged, therefore she must win.

However, a bit of revenge motivated her as well.

Ever since the time he had her do all of those dishes, she's been meaning to get back at him. 'Maybe I can drive by a baseball field and somehow put one of those fake baseball stickers on his windshield to make him think a stray ball cracked it.'

She just knew that getting access to his car would be a great opportunity for some harmless payback.

Leon called out to her; signaling that he was ready.

"Ok!"

With her response, he let go of his hold on the twisted rope. His body spun even faster than before, his hair was a blur of silver that nearly covered his outstretched hand.

'Jerk, you sped up!' She unhooked the bar as she watched him.

'If you think that's going to intimidate me, you're wrong!' She let out a huge grin. 'It's only motivating me to do this.'

She jumped off of the platform and swung a few times to gain enough momentum to reach him. When she was ready, she launched herself off of the bar.

Her eyes quickly looked for his hand. In a split second she saw it and instinctively reached out for it in that same moment. Her hand gripped his forearm loosely. She felt herself slipping down and tightened her hold. Instead of relying on her sight for this, she relied on the sense of touch. The spinning disoriented her sight. Her hand stopped slipping around his wrist.

Joyous laughter filled the room.

Sora bent a leg while she enjoyed the spinning. When they finally slowed, she peered up at him with a large smile. "I got your hand!"

He quirked a brow in amusement. "You got my hand," he agreed.

He watched as she let out another laugh. "However, you did not win the challenge."

Her laughter abruptly died. "What?"

"The challenge was that you would get it within three tries," a slow smirk appeared on his face, "and it took you four."

"But the first one was a practice test!"

He tilted his head to the side. "I do not recall agreeing to a practice test. You asked for three chances to fulfill the challenge."

She frowned. "If that was the case, why did you let me do four tries?"

He nonchalantly shrugged. "You seemed so determined; I thought you would appreciate the opportunity to see if you could do it, regardless of our bet."

As she silently fumed at him, he continued with the business at hand. "Since it is near the end of this week, I will expect you to arrive on Sunday in order to fulfill the bet. I prefer it to be done in the morning as I have some business in the afternoon."

With that said, he let go of her hand.

He could have sworn he heard her yell something in another language as she hit the net.

"Swearing in your mother tongue does not change your loss."

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End of Drabble.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Taking a break from running around doing some chores.

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Rosetta felt that her mouth was open, but she just couldn't find the willpower to close it up.

Was she hearing Sora right?

"S-So, you've been washing Leon's car for the past couple of days?"

With a huff, Sora said yes and then took a vicious bite out of her sandwich.

As Sora continued to talk about what Leon's made her do, Rosetta thought about the situation her friend was in.

Rosetta knew for a fact that Leon didn't live in the dormitories on the Kaleido Stage property. She just assumed he lived at an apartment or something nearby. With that information in mind, she left her mouth open. 'So then, she's been to his place…'

The Pegasus of the Stage, The God of Death…allowed Sora, of all people, to come to his place.

It was mind blowing.

Granted, Sora was just washing his car, but still…She might as well have been at the gates of Hades itself as far as Rosetta was concerned.

She saw May's eye twitch, making her close her mouth.

'I wonder what Leon does while she cleans…'

He probably just reads a book inside or stretches out. Curious, she voiced her question.

Sora's answer caused May to slam her hands on the table.

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It was aggravating.

May listened as Sora vented out her bet issues with Leon.

"He's so particular and meticulous in what he wants done and how to do it! I spent a good half an hour cleaning each little shutter of the A/C openings and all the dials and buttons along the driver's side. I had started with some wipes when he came by with some Q-tips and toothpicks and told me to do it over again!" Sora paused to take a slurp from her straw.

"And the whole car already looks clean! I brought that up with him and he just shrugged and said that a little more cleaning shouldn't hurt!"

"So what did you do?" Rosetta's mint green eyes looked at Sora with a mixture of concern and fascination.

'It's fascinating alright,' May snidely thought, 'train wrecks tend to be that way.'

"Well, I did it, of course. It's a part of the bet." Sora frowned and then grabbed a few chips.

May tapped her nails on the table with irritation. 'That's not the response he wanted!'

When she first heard about Sora and Leon being seen exiting and entering the same practice room, she had her suspicions. Then, Sora started talking about these bets they make and the challenges. After hearing that, May's suspicions become more concrete.

'She doesn't get it.' May jabbed the spoon into her ice cream cup. 'After four months and she still doesn't get it.'

May wondered if she should intervene or just label Sora as a lost cause and move on with her life.

'I'm surprised Leon hasn't given up on the little numbskull.'

May tuned in to Sora's rant.

"—it's just ridiculous! It's a car, not a person!"

Rosetta chimed in, "What does Leon do while you're cleaning?"

Sora waved a hand dismissively. "Oh who knows. All I know is that he comes out every so often to make sure I'm doing things right. He's probably making sure I don't wreck his precious car or something."

May's control snapped.

She slammed her hands on the table. "I can't take this anymore!"

Both girls looked over at the blue eyed beauty.

May pointed her finger at Sora. "He's hitting on you, you colossal idiot!"

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	5. Chapter 5

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Sora's eyes were very wide.

"He's hitting on me?" She squeaked out. "How's making my life miserable a form of hitting on me?!"

May let out an exasperated sound. "Look, I've got tons of brothers and there's one thing that I've learned about guys from them."

May leaned over the table to look Sora straight in the eyes. "No matter what age the guy is, teasing is a sign of interest."

She leaned back a bit, but continued, "Be it the five year old pulling on a girl's pigtails or the grown man tickling a woman with a rose, their actions are all the same thing!"

Sora blinked at the rose part. "You have an older brother?"

"The grown man is my father, you dolt!" May snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Now focus and answer my questions!"

Sora straightened up at the sound. Rosetta sat quietly, curious about what May was up to.

"Has he bought you food of some sort?"

"Well, there were a few lunch bets I won—"

"Just say 'yes' or 'no'! I don't have all day!"

"Yes!" Sora quickly replied. 'May's scary when she's focused on you!'

"Does he provoke you or tease you a lot?"

"Yes."

"You've obviously been to his place; has he invited you _in_?"

"Y-Yes. But that was for—"

May wagged a finger back and forth. "No explanations! Ok, have you had any contact that made you gushy or some sappy thing like that? Like electricity or something?"

Sora's mind flashed back to practice a few days ago. "Yes."

"Does he give you a ride to his place or from his place when you're done with the cleaning?"

"No."

May frowned. "Why not?"

"I thought there were no explanations allowed."

"We're in a new part of the interrogation."

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	6. Chapter 6

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"Why not?" May repeated.

"I said that I was fine with the bus."

May tried to control the urge to strangle her. "Why would you do that?! That is the perfect time and environment to get to know him!"

Sora tilted her head at that. 'Get to know him?'

She thought about the things she did know:

Leon doesn't like sweet things like cream puffs but he doesn't mind dark chocolate on or in his pastries when accompanied by a bitter drink. She found out one day that he doesn't mind green tea after he tried some out from her thermos.

When she had to buy his lunches for his wins, she had experimented.

By his slight grimace at the bag, she saw that he didn't care for hamburgers, but he still ate it—he was not wasteful with food even though he had more than enough money to buy a new lunch.

He was ok with wraps, though he had raised an eyebrow at the purchase. The same thing occurred with the salad.

He liked seafood in various forms and from various cultures. When she had purchased a bento box for herself, she had offered some of her lunch to him after catching his curious expression.

In return, he had silently offered some of his lunch to her.

She hadn't realized it before, but that was actually a sweet gesture on his part.

Another lunch she mischievously tried to get him to put some wasabi on his sushi. His deadpanned face let her know that he knew what that stuff was.

Apparently, not even Leon would eat wasabi.

He rises early, even earlier than she does to take in the calm start of the day, as she sometimes found him standing outside the Kaleido Stage building to look over the ocean.

He enjoyed the movement on the stage, even before they became partners.

She remembered watching him moving through the air the first time he was on the Kaleido Stage for the Saiyuki performance. Despite the bitterness he had, she will never forget that calm expression on his face.

It had lasted for a few seconds, but now, knowing him the way she did, she was grateful that she had seen it.

She had been afraid that the stage had done nothing but hurt him the three years after Sophie's death. However, looking back at that memory of his calm face, she was partially relieved that he took some enjoyment—even if he hadn't realized its existence.

"I know some things about him," she softly stated.

May noted the sincerity she heard from that statement.

"'Some things' is a start," May acknowledged, "but now you have to build on that."

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	7. Chapter 7

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Sora lightly shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Build on it?" Her brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Build it to what?"

May haughtily looked down at her. "At least you're finally thinking in the right direction."

Ignoring Sora's sound of irritation, May continued, "Where it will go is up to you two. I'm just making sure you are aware of what Leon's doing."

Sora regarded her proud friend. "Why are _you_ doing this?"

They shared a look.

There was confusion in Sora's eyes. May sighed as she realized what her twit of a friend was concerned about.

"Yes, I still like Leon. Heck, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to make out with him."

Sora turned a bright red. Rosetta's loud exclamation brought May's attention.

"Oh, come on! Like you two haven't thought about it! I'm pretty darn sure the rest of the female population's thought about it at some point in time!"

With an afterthought, she added in, "Even some guys have probably thought about it."

With a wave of her hand, May dismissed her comments. "That's not important right now. I may like him, but it doesn't mean it would work out."

Her blue eyes held the slightest hint of melancholy. "All I did was bring out his impassive attitude."

Sometimes, she brought out some emotion in him but they were demonic in their nature.

As Dracula, he was frightfully stunning, but unapproachable.

At the Circus Festival in France, they were two enchanting demons, but alarming in their performance. The same audience wouldn't be able to come and watch it day after day.

His Romeo role was impeccable, but devoid of any affection or feeling.

Looking back on the roles, she saw how lacking his performances were, especially now that she had his newer roles to compare to. 'Kalos and that old guy Mr. Kenneth saw what we couldn't see; they saw the performer Leon _could _be with Sora,' May mused.

Blue orbs lightened a bit when they regarded Sora. "You bring out the life in him in ways I never could."

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	8. Chapter 8

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"May…" Sora's eyes were sympathetic.

The dark haired performer cleared her throat. "Well, that's enough of that; I don't need you to get all emotional on me before I'm done chewing you out!"

Sora let out a knowing smile.

May ignored it. "Now, you need to actually do something tomorrow when Leon's being infuriating. And before you say in your annoyingly, optimistic voice that maybe he'll not be infuriating, I'm here to tell you that I _know _he will be. He's waiting for something and you haven't done it yet."

"So, what are you suggesting I do?"

May let out a devious smile. "It's so simple, even someone as absentminded as you can remember…"

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Sora stood under the bright morning sun with a hose in her hand.

Her fingers pulled the handle of the nozzle to let out a misty spray of water over Leon's car. She hummed as she walked around it, watching as the foamy soap slid off of the car.

"Soap go bye-bye!"

Footsteps sounded behind her. She stiffened slightly.

Leon peered over her shoulder to see the progress. Her head turned towards him as he walked over to the bucket with the soap water. He crouched down for a brief moment and then stood up again.

"You used the wrong soap."

The spray of water stopped. "What?"

Leon repeated his statement.

"B-But I got the soap from where you told me to get it!"

"Yes, it is the right type of soap, however," grey eyes laughed at her as he spoke, "there were two different bottles with two different scents. I prefer the lemon one."

Leon could practically hear her teeth grinding. "Then why do you have two different soaps if you like the lemon one?"

He shrugged. "I was testing the other one, but I didn't like it."

"Then just toss it out or donate it!"

Leon shook his head at her. "The scent isn't unbearable so it is a bottle for when the lemon soap runs out."

Casually, he stated, "Wash it again."

Those words made her mind fill up with exasperation.

May's advice sounded in her head: _React._

Casually, Sora turned the nozzle towards him and squeezed the handle.

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	9. Chapter 9

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Sora had expected a misty spray to come out.

However, she had the nozzle closed for quite some time during her chat with Leon. When she squeezed the nozzle's handle, all of that water that had been building up blasted out…

…right into Leon's face.

Her fingers let go of the hose. "Oops…"

Leon's dripping form greeted her eyes.

A few seconds passed with neither one moving. Leon was the one to break the stillness.

Silently, Leon bent down to grab the bucket by his feet.

"Oh—" The soapy water cut her off.

Furiously, she wiped the soap from her face.

She spat out some soap. "Egh! I don't know about the smell, but the taste of this is awful!"

She heard Leon neutrally respond with an "I can rid you of the soap," before a spray of water hit her.

Sora sputtered as she attempted to gather herself. Soap cleaned off, her eyes saw Leon ready with the hose. Grey eyes glinted at her in amusement.

Her head turned to look at the bottle of car soap sitting innocently near her.

Leon saw the familiar determined gleam in her eyes. His eyes slightly widened as he realized what she would be going for.

"Don't you dare," he rumbled out.

She half skipped towards the bottle. "Did you just challenge me?"

He opened his mouth to speak but he was cut off with her hurried, "Loser buys lunch!"

With that, she ran for the bottle.

He smirked as he vaulted over the car to stop her.

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	10. Chapter 10

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An hour later, two soapy wet figures entered his home.

Sora was given the privilege of using the shower first. While she washed off the soap, Leon rinsed his hands and went to find some items for her to borrow.

He chuckled under his breath. 'I hadn't expected that.'

Certainly, he was provoking her purposely, but he hadn't thought she would do all the asinine tasks he had told her to do. He was about to stop the ridiculous tasks when he noticed something different today.

She was watching him carefully.

Her sudden alertness prompted him to bring up the soap.

While it was true that he preferred the lemon one, it really didn't matter which one she used. However, the fact that she used the other soap was too good of an opportunity for him to pass on.

Initially stunned by her actions, the rest of the morning turned out to be rather pleasing.

Leon heard the shower shut off.

Instead of bringing the items to her, he waited. The place was quiet and the clock from the living room ticked off the seconds.

Her voice finally called out to him. "Erm…Leon? Could I borrow a robe or something?"

He let out another chuckle as he heard her talk. Her embarrassment was hard to not pick up on.

He walked over. "Tell me, did you just realize this before or after you showered?"

Now at the door, he heard her muttering something in her language.

"Was that about me?"

"Yes!"

"Am I supposed to know what it was?"

"No; it was just for my benefit!" He could picture her pouting.

Leon knew other European languages from having performed in the countries surrounding France. He had performed in China a handful of times, but he wasn't there long enough for him to pick up more than a phrase or two in Cantonese and Mandarin.

Japanese—unfortunately for him and fortunately for Sora—was one of the languages he wasn't familiar with.

He shook his head. 'The joys of being multilingual.'

He hung the articles in his hand. "I will overlook this slight for now. The clothes are on the doorknob."

She began to thank him when she abruptly halted. "Wait! Can you grab my jacket?"

"The sun is out now. Why would you need a jacket?"

"I need top layers," she bit out. "So could you please get my jacket?"

He frowned at the door before his eyebrows shot up in realization.

'Ah.' He looked at the shirt he had placed on the knob. It wasn't made with a thick material.

He cleared his throat. "I'll get it."

As he went to get said item, he made a mental note not to question her when it came to clothing matters.

Luckily for him, Sora was in the bathroom or else she would have spotted the barest hint of red on his face.

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Sora shoved her wet laundry into the dryer.

She managed to wash her clothes in the shower with a bar of soap Leon provided. It would take a while if she washed them in the machine and then had to place them into the dryer. Since she somewhat washed them as she showered, she only has to wait for them to dry now.

'This saves time.' She fiddled with the knobs and the dryer turned on.

The soft carpet tickled her bare feet as she walked into the living room. It was sparse in furniture, only having a couch, a coffee table, and a flat screen TV hanging from the wall. There were no pictures along the mantle, but a single antique clock sat on the spacious area.

She admired the carvings on the clock.

'I wonder if he has any family pictures.'

She thought about the picture she had of her parents. 'Maybe he keeps it in his wallet or somewhere more personal.'

She could understand the desire to keep a memento private.

"It was an heirloom of our parents."

Sora slightly jumped at the sound of his voice. 'I didn't realize I had been staring at this for a while now!'

"Oh?" She turned around.

He was leaning against the wall with his damp hair along his front. She blinked at him, not knowing why he seemed to be relaxed, especially when they were talking about his family.

In the past, he either clammed up or got a little worked up about it.

He pushed off of the wall. "It was one of the items Sophie and I wanted to take with us when we moved to my relative's house."

Leon strode over to the couch and sat down. "It has been in my keeping ever since."

Sora let out a small smile. "You've kept it in a great condition."

He nodded at the praise.

She considered him for a moment before her hand reached into her jacket pocket. Sora sat down next to Leon with her wallet in her hand.

She opened the clasp as she spoke. "I've kept this photo for as long as I can remember…"

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	11. Chapter 11

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Leon observed Sora laughing as she finished her tale.

He noticed that she had rolled up the sweat pants he lent her and the sleeves of her jacket were rolled up as well. Her legs were crossed on the couch and the previous space between them was very small. He could "accidently" shift and their legs would be touching…

"Mom was very embarrassed and Dad didn't know what to do with me."

She giggled a little more. "I mean, what do you do when your child's screaming that the pregnant lady ate a baby?"

Leon shook his head with a half-smile. "I would stop reading _Little Red Riding Hood_ to said child."

He had shifted his body earlier towards her, so he was able to place his elbow on the back of the couch while his hand propped his head. "I never knew you were such a troublemaker."

Sora playfully pushed his shoulder. "I never knew you liked to have fun with water. I bet you feel right at home in a water park!"

He smirked. "Says the person who started the water fight."

"Hey, I wasn't the one making outrageous demands every day!"

"You were not," he conceded, "however, you did carry out my every whim."

He reached a hand out to grab some locks of her red hair.

"I wonder what that means," he murmured as his eyes watched his fingers tangle themselves in the locks.

When she made a sound of surprise, he looked up at her.

Grey eyes were slightly lidded and very focused on her. Her hands gripped her knees.

"I, I had the bet to fulfill."

His fingers lightly tugged her hair. "That wasn't it."

Her brown eyes narrowed. "How would you know?"

He gave a one shouldered shrug. "Observations."

Her eyebrows went up. "Like what?"

A crooked smile appeared on his face. "I thought you'd never ask."

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AN: Message for those reading _Tangled Magic_.

I'm almost done with the next chapter so it should be up either tonight or tomorrow!


	12. Chapter 12

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"I will be gracious and only look at the happenings within this year."

Ever inquisitive, Sora asked, "Why wouldn't you look at the previous year and a half?"

He slowly blinked at her, but said nothing. He would leave it to her to figure it out.

Sora pursed her lips at his silence. She thought about the last year and a half. There were her first meetings with May, Leon and lots of training along with plenty of turmoil from all three of them.

She had even left the Kaleido Stage for some time.

Her mind drifted through the shows they did, Leon pulling her onto the stage, Leon falling, her learning about Leon and his sister's dream, and then her beginning partnership with Leon.

The thrill of performing the Angel's Act ran through her veins. She recalled, with a slight blush, that she had even dared to lean incredibly close to Leon and he had leaned forward to her…

She still wasn't quite sure what she was thinking when she did that. 'I think it was from all of the excitement or something.'

She ignored how ridiculous that sounded in her head.

By her fidgeting, he gathered that she understood what he meant.

"Shall I continue?"

With her nod, he did.

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	13. Chapter 13

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Sora listened in a trace as he spoke in a low tone.

The moments she thought he hadn't seen, her adjusting her practice schedule, what she thought were secret glances in his direction every so often, and her bashfulness when they accidently touch outside of the stage or unpredicted touches during practices.

What had her stunned was his admittance to certain things.

He told her that he had found himself liking their practice times together and had adjusted his schedule as well.

Leon's fingers brushed along her jawbone. Her answering blush and the fact that she ever so slightly leaned into the gesture encouraged him to speak his mind.

"I would like to take you out to dinner sometime."

"Wasn't the bet for lunch? Besides, I thought it was a draw."

"This would be outside of our betting." He moved a little closer so that their legs touched.

Her face was completely red. "I…I…"

The dryer buzzed.

"I need to get that!" she blurted out.

Leon raised a brow. He leaned back to give her some room.

With that action, she bolted off the couch. He heard her open the dryer and then run into the hallway.

He sighed as the bathroom door shut. 'Was that too soon?'

He was never sure how Sora would react to the things he said and did.

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	14. Chapter 14

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Sora played around with her lunch plate.

May took in the information she told her.

"So, you had a water fight, took a shower at his place, he asked you out and you pretty much ran out without giving him an answer."

At her nod, May declared, "You're an idiot."

"I know," she deflated as she said the words.

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	15. Chapter 15

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As May gave her a piece of her mind, Sora contemplated the reason why she called May over.

'Did I want her advice?'

Not really. She felt like she'd have to solve this issue herself.

'Did I just want a listening ear?'

If that was the case, anyone but May would have been a better choice. Sora looked over at May's towering, red face.

'Did I want someone to yell at me?'

It at first sounded strange, but upon further thought, she realized it was true.

The following day at practice, Leon didn't give her the cold shoulder or shut her out. He acted pretty much the same as any other practice.

While that sounded like it would be ideal, it actually hurt her on the inside.

It made her wonder how he would have been if she had agreed. Would he be near her more often? How would they progress? Would they coddle on his couch and swap stories together? Would he tease her even more?

…and maybe, one day, would he tease her with a rose?

After these thoughts, she called on May for a talk. Subconsciously, she knew that if there was anyone who wouldn't shy away from scolding her, it was May.

Sora was offered the chance to know if her thoughts were true and she ran away from it before it could truly begin.

'I really am an idiot.'

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May ranted and raved; she spit fire and ice at Sora.

The acrobat could tell that none of it was reaching her friend.

'Well, she did react to the first insult.' She rolled her eyes.

When May spotted the beginnings of regret in her friend's eyes, she eased up. 'At least she realizes she messed up big time.'

Now that May was done chewing her friend out, she sat down with a huff.

"You should eat your lunch."

Sora pushed her plate aside. "I'm not really hungry."

May took a bite of her meal.

"Do you know what you need to do?"

Sora shrugged. "Not yet, but it will come to me."

Silence ensued.

With a loud sigh, May asked with annoyance in her voice, "Did you want some advice?"

Sora let out a small smile. "Thanks, but I need to do this on my own."

May gave a nod; she could respect that.

Just when the atmosphere was getting comfortable, May asked, "You did wear a white t-shirt when you had your water fight, right?"

"Erm…was I supposed to?"

Fire spewed out of May's mouth again.

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	16. Chapter 16

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Sora tossed and turned in her bed last night.

She was only able to fall asleep when a plausible solution formed into her mind.

When she woke up in the early morning, she promptly shoved the covers off and got ready. She went through her morning grooming and rituals and was off for practice.

Sora lightly jogged over to the outer perimeter of the Kaleido Stage property that overlooked the beach. The misty morning fog from the ocean gave her a chill; she zipped up her jacket.

When she spotted Leon, she slowed down to walking.

The ocean breeze played with his hair; he let it do as it will as he took in the waves and the cries of the seagulls.

His head turned slightly when she approached.

He gave her a nod and then turned back. She moved to stand next to him.

Her hands gripped the railing for moral support.

"Leon, I want to apologize for my rudeness a few days ago. I left your place in such a hurry, I—"

"Do not think of it. I take no offence."

His words made her wonder if he truly thought that.

"Even so, I…" she swallowed, "wish to give you my answer."

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Leon was turned towards the waves, but he really wasn't seeing them.

'Was not her leaving enough of an answer?' he bemused.

He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it actually did affect him.

Her rejection stung like salt on a wound. But he would not hold it against her. If she was not interested in him, that was fine. He had simply wondered about it for some time now.

The next day, he resolved to go to practice as usual and behave as usual.

…Except he didn't feel like he usually did.

He attempted to tease her like always, but he found that he wasn't really in the mood to do so.

They had not challenged each other that day, so they just went through practicing and perfecting their skills.

The next practice came. When he had taken a look at her, her movements weren't as lively. 'Did my actions bother her so? Are they still plaguing her mind?'

'This will not do.'

Even though he didn't feel like it, he called out a challenge to her.

Even if he really didn't want to, he teased her.

He wanted her energy to return—even if it meant making her forget what he said that day.

He would rather have the easy atmosphere from before than the unsteadiness that filled the air as of late. 'If I had made her uncomfortable, then I will undo my earlier actions.'

These were his thoughts for the past few days.

That's why he was shocked to feel her hand on his.

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	17. Chapter 17

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Last night, as her busy mind kept her from sleeping, her mind threw out a random thought about what occurred that day with the water fight.

'He lent me his clothes.'

She knew they were his because the pant legs were long and the shirt was most definitely the size of his build.

Looking back on that, she wondered why he didn't lend her some of Sophie's clothes—if he had kept any of her clothes for sentimental reasons.

Sora recalled something that May had told her during a dress rehearsal.

_Flashback_

She had asked May if she noticed something different about Leon. "He used to have this faraway look, like he's always lost in the past."

May understood Sora's predicament.

"He hasn't been looking at you like that for a while now," May mused out loud. "Leon looked at you with that expression in the beginning; he was probably thinking about Sophie or something."

With a grin, May added, "But don't worry, that look wasn't on his face with your little stunt during the first Swan Lake performance."

Sora blushed.

"This is a good sign," May stated, but did not elaborate on it.

_End of Flashback_

'It's a good sign because he doesn't see Sophie when he looks at me,' she realized.

That's why he started teasing her, practicing with her, and opening up to her.

'He's seeing only me.'

That's why he didn't give her Sophie's clothes, but his own. He didn't want her wearing something that would associate her with his sister.

He wanted her to wear something that would associate her with himself.

'I thought it was a trick of the light at the time, but now that I know…his eyes on that day, when he had first seen me in his clothes…there was a gleam of something incredibly warm and something like satisfaction…like he was…pleased at the sight.'

Sora felt her whole face heat up.

But going over her thoughts last night helped cement her decision.

She took a breath in to steel her nerves.

Her hand reached out to his on the railing.

She couldn't believe how warm his hand was even though he had been out here longer than her.

"Leon."

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His eyes took in the sight of her petite hand on his.

'Is it possible that…' he dared not finish his thoughts.

When she called out his name, he finally looked at her. Her cheeks were slightly tinted.

"I would like to accept your invitation to dinner…" she bashfully looked away, "If your offer still stands, that is."

He took a few moments to soak in her reaction and words.

"Are you sure of your answer?" he murmured.

His question made her turn back to him. Her head tilted with confusion.

With a slow grin, he elaborated, "Will you survive a whole dinner with me without bolting out the door?"

He watched as the tint spread across her face.

"I think I can manage," she finally stated.

"Even through dessert?"

Boldly—though her cheeks still glowed with a rosy red—she stepped closer to him so that their arms touched. "Even to the next dinner date."

Amused, he raised a brow. "I only asked for one date."

"I know; the second one's my asking."

Her other hand rested on his forearm. The pressure of her hand sent a thrill up his limb.

"I don't recall agreeing to that," he said with some humor.

With a sly smile, she said, "I suppose I could have phrased that better; I'm telling you, not asking."

His fingers trailed down her cheek. He could feel the heat of her flushed face.

"Well then, when you put it that way, how could I resist such an offer?"

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AN: I had a question about whose clothes Leon lent to Sora. I decided to address that here in case others had that same question.


	18. Chapter 18

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May invited herself over.

Still in her shower robe and hair in a towel, Sora blinked at the dresses May brought over.

"Ok, so did he say to dress up formally or did he at least mention the name of the place?"

"Oh, um, he didn't really—"

"Probably semi-formal."

May started to rummage through her closet. With a tsk, May looked at her shoes. "Are these the only heels you have?"

Without hearing the answer, May pulled out a pair of shoes.

Feeling a little irritated, Sora spoke. "May, I appreciate all of the help you've given me, I really do, but—" Her sentence halted when May started opening her drawers. Bounding over the bed, Sora slammed her underwear drawer shut.

May crossed her arms with disapproval. "I didn't see any lace in there."

The redhead sputtered with embarrassment and surprise. She didn't know how May could state that with such a straight face.

"I'll handle my own wardrobe!"

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After pushing May out of her dorm room, Sora rapidly dried her hair and got ready.

At 6:25PM a knock sounded at her door.

She hopped over while trying to put a heel on. Before opening the door, she quickly slipped the other one on. Looking impeccable, Leon's form greeted her.

Sora attempted to fight off a blush, especially since he was quite debonair with the top buttons of his charcoal dress shirt undone and a slight smirk on his lips. She managed to address him.

"Hello, Leon."

His smirk grew at the timid way she stood clutching her handbag for stability. 'It's too early for you to be grabbing for an anchor. We haven't even started.'

He took in her creamy beige spaghetti strapped dress, the simple necklace that lay along the valley of her v-cut gown and the cream pearl studs in her earlobes. 'I hadn't known she has pierced ears.' He couldn't recall ever seeing her with earrings on. Her cherry hair was partly pulled back with bobby pins. The shine of her lips and the faint color on her eyelids let him know that she had even put some make-up on.

After tonight, he knew he wouldn't be able to see her the same way.

His view of her had already been altering when they became partners. But now, he wouldn't be able to deny the attractiveness he found in her.

Sora blushed as Leon looked over her.

As she started to note that his left arm was behind his back, Leon brought it forward.

Her eyes spotted a dozen chocolate roses artfully wrapped in red foil. A gentle smile made its way onto Sora's lips. Her fingers brushed against his hand as she accepted the gift.

"Thank you."

He gave a small nod. "Real flowers did not seem appropriate."

"Oh really now?" she laughed. "Were you afraid I'd forget to water them?"

"No." Thoughtfully, Leon looked at her. He stepped closer until they were within an inch apart. "You match with chocolates better than flowers. A flower withers and cannot stand on its own." A hand moved to touch her face, but then it fell back down. He did not want to overwhelm her again. "A chocolate's taste lingers even after consuming it; its presence stays even when it's gone."

A smirk appeared on his face, "Chocolates are the only sweets I tolerate."

Sora rapidly blinked at him. 'I think…he's saying that he likes me in a roundabout way.' She dared to look straight in his eyes. Something flitted through those grey orbs that made her cheeks heat up. She broke the contact and instead looked at the bouquet of chocolate roses.

Softly, she murmured, "I'm glad to hear it."

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	19. Chapter 19

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The outside of the place looked nice, but it really didn't give her a clue as to what kind of a restaurant it was.

Leon's hand helped her get out of the car.

She smiled and thanked him to which he gave a small nod to. They stood side by side for a bit until Leon's arm gestured for them to walk.

Neither knew what was allowed.

Leon was tempted to rest his hand along her back or shoulder, but he did not think she would respond positively to the action. His eyes briefly looked at her. 'Too soon,' he decided. It would probably make her nervous.

Sora's fingers played with her purse's clasp. 'It feels strange to just be walking side by side. I mean, it is a date after all.' Although she had been on a date or two, they were very informal since they happened when she was a lot younger.

'They were more like hang outs with friends,' she reflected.

She had been curious what a date would be like, so when a classmate had asked her out, she inwardly shrugged to herself, 'Why not? He's a nice guy.' She later found out that he wished to perform on a stage as well, although as an actor in a theater. He had been impressed when he saw her balancing on the pull up bars and decided to see if they would click. They laughed and enjoyed themselves, but there wasn't any chemistry between them.

With Leon, though, she felt the stirrings of something.

'Is it a mild crush or something else?' She hoped the dates would help her figure that out. Gathering her courage, she shifted her purse to one hand and wrapped the other beneath Leon's arm.

When he felt her arm slip under his, he got the hint and bent the arm so that she could better loop hers around his. She began to blush when she saw the half smile on his face.

'It might be something else.'

Arm secured, he led her into the restaurant.

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Sora looked around curiously. The waiting area was pretty much closed off from the rest of the restaurant. "What kind of place is this?"

Leon chuckled. "You decide to ask me now, when we're already here?"

She let out a soft huff. "I thought you'd tell me. I didn't realize I had to ask."

"You'll find out soon enough."

Her cinnamon eyes narrowed. "You probably wouldn't have told me."

Amusement danced in his eyes. "Probably not."

She turned her head away in what was supposed to be annoyance, but he caught the playful smile before she moved her head. "Getting information from you is harder than getting candy away from a kid."

"It is not that hard." His hand rested on hers; she turned back to him with the touch. "You simply need to learn _how_ to ask me."

"I don't need to learn anything." She quipped. "A bet can get you to answer the things I ask."

Leon quirked a brow at that. While it was true, he had a feeling she wouldn't abuse his trust in that manner. He took in her smugness and decided to take her up on that challenge.

He smirked. "I don't need bets for that; you seem eager to do as I ask."

"Har, har." Her fingers pinched his arm. "All those chores showed me how ridiculous you could be."

"All those finished chores showed me how much you wanted to please me."

Her cheeks tinted pink. He grinned at his accuracy.

"If it's any consolation, I am very pleased." He leaned over her and slowly perused her form. His eyes met hers again. "_Extremely_ pleased."

Her heart was going very fast and her face was probably redder than the foil covering the chocolates he gave her. She found that she liked the feeling and their interaction; she was just unsure how much of a health hazard it could be.

Daringly, she looked him over. When she reached his face, she leaned her head close to his. "I'm pleased as well."

Grey eyes widened slightly before they settled back down; his eyelids were slightly lower than earlier, but that minuscule change made all the difference.

"Good."

She felt a thrill run down her back at his low, smooth voice.

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	20. Chapter 20

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They were led to their table.

Her eyes took in the chairs, the thin table surrounding an island of a metal sheet with cooking utensils next to it. A big smile bloomed on her face. "It's a _teppanyaki_ grill!"

Leon pulled out her chair. "This place seemed like something you would be interested in, what with the tricks and such the chefs do."

Sora's smile grew. "It's loads of fun, especially when they toss you food to catch in your mouth."

Leon paused in pulling his chair out. "Toss?"

He had heard about the chef cooking right in front of you and the show he puts on as he's preparing it. But this tossing and catching…

"Yeah. It's funny when the person doesn't catch it and it lands on their face."

'Or on their light colored dress,' he thought as he eyed her outfit. 'I suppose I should have told her ahead of time where we were going.'

He shrugged off his dark jacket and placed it on her shoulders.

She looked at the item and then turned to him with a confused face.

Leon sat down. "Use it as a cover for your dress. I did not know about the catching of food or else I would have told you to dress for the occasion."

A soft smile of gratitude appeared on her face. He rather liked the look.

"You're thoughtful when you're not ordering me around," she teased.

"I could take it back."

She quickly slipped her arms through the sleeves. "Too late; I'm wearing it."

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Other guests joined the duo.

A couple recognized them and asked for an autograph. "Oh, could you make it out to my daughter, Miss Sora? She just adores watching you; all the children enjoy your shows so much!"

"Sure thing," the red head chirruped. Midway done with the message, she brought her head up to ask, "Did you want Leon to sign it as well?"

The lady nodded. "Only if it's not too much trouble." At this part she looked at Leon for confirmation.

Sora waved the concern away. "Of course not. He'd be more than happy to!"

The petite acrobat ignored the deadpanned look her partner was giving her. He had a general rule against signing autographs off of the Kaleido Stage grounds. "When you do it once, people will expect you to do it again and whenever they want you to," he had said.

"Well then, I better get you used to doing it until it doesn't bother you," she had flippantly responded.

The way she saw it, they were their fans and an autograph was the least they could do as a sign of appreciation for coming to see the shows they put on.

Message done, she passed the sheet of paper over to Leon.

He raised a brow; she raised a brow back.

"Do you need some help picking up a pen?" she muttered lowly so that only he could hear. She was just glad that the lady was too busy talking to her husband to notice Leon's reluctance.

"You know my rule."

She bit back a huff. "It's for their little girl. It's not like she's one of your lunatic fans that hound you after the performances."

"Jealous, Sora?"

She primly sniffed. "No. I just don't like the way they almost run over the kids trying to greet us, that's all."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

They had a short face off before Leon grabbed the pen. When he was finished, he leaned across her to pass the paper to the couple. "Just this once," he murmured as he was close to her.

"You said that last time," she cheekily stated. "Are you sure that rule of yours is still effective?"

He leaned close to her ear. "Are you sure you want to play this out?"

She swallowed at his proximity. He took her silence as a "no."

Leon sat back in his seat.

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	21. Chapter 21

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Sora eased up when their drinks and appetizers came.

Her earlier embarrassment disappeared rather quickly with the interactions with those at their table. Light laughter made a relaxing atmosphere.

While Leon was not particularly fond of socializing, he found that the comfortable air Sora created made it very natural and easy to do.

It began with a few comments with the couple that asked for an autograph.

Most of the questions were directed at Sora, but gradually, as they chatted, the husband threw out a question towards Leon, which he did not deem too personal or ridiculous and so Leon felt no trouble responding to it.

Then, a small family joined their table.

At first, the boy had been loud. He obviously recognized the duo from a field trip with his school. They were well known in the area, so it was not a surprise.

Though, this time, the boy was a fan of Leon's.

Sora had been quite amused at the sight of a seven year old describing Leon's moves that were "awesome" with enthusiastic hand motions and sound effects.

"And then, when you threw her up super high and then did this awesome, super-fast spinning and twisting to the next swing and then you caught her with one hand and then you both did an awesome backflip…" His parents eventually sat him down and apologized for the disturbance.

To her surprise, Leon shrugged the apology off. He even signed an autograph the boy asked for without any wheedling or convincing from her end. 'That was a shocker.'

Leon turned back to see Sora giving him a secretive smile over her cup.

"Don't even start," he warned.

"Start what?" She innocently tilted her head. "All I see is a growth."

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AN: I'm basing the setup of the table on my experience at one of these restaurant grills. They've been referred to as (at least in the US) Habachi grills/steakhouses, but I did a little research and habachi and teppanyaki seem to refer to two different types of grills/cooking methods. Teppanyaki is also a sort of cuisine or certain type of foods are made on this kind of grill, so I read that you can go to a habachi grill and they may have teppanyaki foods offered.

I don't recall the name of the place I went to. :P Opps. But I do know it looked like a teppanyaki grill.


	22. Chapter 22

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By the time the chef arrived, everyone was joining in the conversation in some way—whether it was actual talking or simply reacting to what was said.

Lively and polite, the chef introduced himself and began readying the metal sheet.

Then the show started.

Sora watched as the chef played around with a shrimp tail as he bounced it onto his sleeve and then propelled it into his front pocket.

When he stacked some onion circles to create a small tower, fire shot out of the opening and into the air. Sora's delighted gasp reached Leon's ears; her hand tugged the sleeve of his arm resting along the back of her chair.

Leon first looked at his arm and then the positions of their chairs. 'When had we scooted closer?' He couldn't even recall when he put his arm around her.

"Did you see that?" Sora's excited voice brought his attention to her.

He slowly shifted his thoughts.

"Yes." With a brow raised, he stated, "It would be rather difficult to miss that."

Her elbow gently jabbed his ribs.

His fingers idly twirled some strands of her hair. He watched as she blinked at the position of his arm. 'Will she lean away from it or lean back along it?'

Her eyes took in their closeness and then came up to look at him. With a half-smile, he lightly shrugged. "I just noticed it as well."

A light blush appeared, but instead of pulling away, she leaned back in her seat. "It's fine," she softly stated. Her lips quirked with mischief. "It explains why I suddenly had a shoulder cushion."

He was about to respond when some exclamations interrupted him. He turned to look at the left side of the table and saw Jason—the couple they first spoke to—picking up a diced zucchini piece from his wife's shoulder.

"You've got terrible aim, Miranda!"

Miranda laughed. "It looked like it was going lower!" The chef asked if she wanted to try again. "Oh, go ahead and let someone else try; you can get back to me later."

The little boy pointed over. "How about Mr. Leon?"

Expectant eyes turned towards the tall, silver haired man. Sora covered her mouth to hide her laughter, but Leon could feel her shoulders shaking.

"Would you like to try next, sir?" the chef readied a sliced carrot piece on his metal spatula.

At Leon's hesitancy, Sora leaned closer to him to murmur, "Don't tell me the Great Leon Oswald's afraid of catching a vegetable."

His eyes glinted. "Are you challenging me?"

"Maybe. What's your bet?"

His eyes darted about her face. "I'll tell you later."

She wrinkled her nose. "How am I supposed to know if I want to take you up on this bet if you don't say what it is?"

"You won't be opposed to it," he confidently stated. "What's your bet?"

"If you're not saying yours, I'm not saying mine."

He gave a nod. "Catch three in a row?"

"Too easy." She narrowed her eyes. "Make it five."

He smirked. "Done."

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Sora had asked those at the table if Leon could get six chances to try.

They were fine with it, seeing as they heard them talking about some sort of bet. Plus, it was the performance of the lifetime: Leon Oswald, catching diced veggies—live.

When else would they see this serious man participating in some casual fun?

The first try he missed.

The next ones he got with his faster reflexes even when Sora told the chef to go ahead and make each toss more challenging. Leon merely quirked an eyebrow at her request.

The last toss, Sora knew he was going to catch it. Her eyes watched as the chef readied a shrimp. "Wait!"

Leon turned to her.

"Eyes closed this time."

"Me?"

"No. The chef."

The chef laughed. "You're too much, Miss Sora! I give you a fair warning; I have only begun trying to do this with my eyes closed, so I will not be held responsible for where it goes."

"It'll be fine. No worries!"

With that, the chef closed his eyes. He felt the weight of the shrimp and then let Leon know that he was going to toss it. Leon's vocal affirmative pushed the chef into action.

Everyone watched as the shrimp was tossed into a very high arch, but it traveled very quickly. Sora's eyes widened as she saw where it was going to land. 'Aww sh-' her thoughts were halted by the light screeching of a chair being pushed back.

She jolted a bit as her chair was moved as well and in a flash, she saw Leon twist and rest his head on her lap. The shrimp was caught between his teeth with the efficiency of a shark snapping a fish in mid-motion.

"Five," he declared with the biggest smirk she had ever seen.

The clapping covered over her cursing.

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AN: One thing I forgot to say, for those who might think it's strange that they would be chatting with the other people there, the way the table is setup makes it very hard to not overhear each other and to ignore people. Haha. I think it is purposefully setup that way to make people interact with each other; like a nice, comfortable family of strangers. :P

My family were talking about whether to see Tangled in theaters or not and the family next to us said they just came back from it and we just started talking with them like old friends. It's pretty nice when you find common interests.


	23. Chapter 23

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After they ate their mochi ice cream, the duo left the restaurant.

Leon parked the car and got out to walk her back to her dorm room. She slipped her arm through his again. She lightly laughed at his comment about her turn catching food.

"My catches paled in comparison to yours, Mr. Hot Shot."

He smirked. "I have you to thank for the success of the last catch."

"How so?" She impishly smiled at him. "I thought my actions made it clear that I was sabotaging you."

"On the contrary, you motivated me even further." His eyes slanted over to her. "Plus, your lap was quite comfortable."

He grinned when her face turned red.

"I hadn't thought it would go towards me."

"We were sitting rather close; it wasn't such a random occurrence, if you think about that."

They reached her door.

Her arm retracted itself. Leon felt the loss of her warmth.

"I lasted the whole dinner," she started with a smile.

"Hm. So you did." He stepped closer which pushed her to lean against her door. His arm came up to casually rest above her head. "Was dinner with me as intimidating as you imagined?"

Pink stained her cheeks. "Not quite."

His eyes perused her. "I must be losing my touch," he teased.

"Or your tricks don't work on me," she stated with a half-smile.

When he stopped leaning over her, she thought he was leaving. Her lips parted to say his name; however, his hands began to unbutton the jacket she was wearing. Her words stayed in her throat.

He did it slowly and meticulously. His eyes stayed focus on the task. He was down to the last buttons when her voice had his attention.

"You didn't say what your bet was."

His fingers continued with the task. He chuckled under his breath. "It was more of a wish that I had at the time. You can hardly call it a bet."

Her hand grasped his as the last button was undone. "Tell me."

His eyes spotted the gloss on her lips. At the time of the betting, he recalled thinking that all he had to do was lean in a little and he could do it. Just a brief touch; the lightest of motions—just enough for him to get a taste…

He raised the hand that was held by her. "A kiss," he murmured, and then brushed his lips against the back of her hand. Her hand fell out of his.

He saw her swallow. "I…don't think I can give you one yet."

"It was a wish," he reiterated. "I do not expect one so soon." His hands came up to her shoulders and gently peeled the jacket off of her. "Besides, the wish was that _I_ give _you_ a kiss."

She lightly shivered, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the loss of the jacket. "So, I can't kiss you until you kiss me?"

He chuckled. "You are more than welcomed to do so. I simply will not act until you are more comfortable with me."

She lightly frowned. "Why does it matter who gives the kiss if both participate in it?"

He laid his jacket over his arm. With his free hand, he cupped her cheek and leaned in close. His thumb barely grazed over her bottom lip. "The difference is," he murmured as his eyes watched his thumb's motion, "I don't give quick pecks on the lips."

His eyes connected with hers. "Until then, I will only follow your motions."

He removed his hand and gave her some space.

Sora stood before him with wide eyes. Her bottom lip could still feel the way his thumb moved over it. Her pulse was fast and her cheeks burned with a bit of embarrassment and desire.

She subconsciously wet her lips. Her face heated up even more as his eyes followed the action. "O-oh."

She hadn't considered what kind of a kisser he was. 'Do I even _know _the types of kisses there are?' By the way he was looking at her; she could see that a kiss from him would probably be overwhelming to her, especially if he did it right now.

"Thanks for the consideration," she murmured as her hands gripped her purse.

He merely nodded.

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	24. Chapter 24

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Leon stood by as she unlocked her door.

Sora turned back to him. "I really did have a great time."

"I had chosen the place with you in mind."

She smiled. "I hope you liked it as well, even if it was a little more social than what you're comfortable with."

He let out a scoff. "It was more than 'a little.'" His gaze softened slightly as he looked at her smile. "But it was enjoyable."

"I'm glad." Her eyes looked down at her feet. He wondered what she was thinking about when her head suddenly shot up. Brown doe eyes gleamed at him.

As she stepped up to him, he stood and waited for her to act. Her hand lay on his shoulder and she tiptoed up to give him a peck on the cheek. "You might not give pecks, but I do," she stated with humor.

His cheek tingled where her lips had been. "I did not say I disliked them."

"Good." Her eyes were filled with mirth as she gave him another peck. "I'll see you at practice?"

He raised a brow. "Don't you always?"

She lightly pushed his shoulder.

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Mia and Anna watched as Leon walked to the elevator.

Anna was the first to step out of their hiding spot. "Did you see that?! I've never seen Leon so buddy-buddy with anyone!"

Mia mentally replayed what they saw. "I wouldn't use 'buddy-buddy' to describe it."

"I meant more like touching and teasing…You know what I mean."

Mia let out a noncommittal sound. Her eyes were looking at Leon's dark clothes. 'And Sora had very light colored clothing.' Seeing them interacting together off stage seemed so bizarre, yet they meshed so well, she could see how they would get along. 'Dark and light; broody and sunny.' She could practically see them in costume!

Anna took in the glint in her friend's eyes. "You've got another script idea, don't you?"

Mia clicked her pen. "There's work to be done!"

Anna followed Mia to her dorm room. "Will there be room for any gags?"

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	25. Chapter 25

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Sora sat at her dorm room table.

She nibbled on some sugar cookies as she waited. Rosetta sighed as she tapped her fingers on the table. "When's Mia coming?"

Sora shrugged. "She said she had to run an idea by Cathy and then she'd come."

"She'd better be here soon. I've got trapeze practice with May!"

Marion lay on the couch reading a fairy tale. "Sora's got a lunch date."

The redhead nearly choked on her cookie. "M-Marion! Where did you hear that?!"

She turned the page. "This morning. I was passing the practice rooms to get my dad some food. It's not my fault you guys had the door open."

"We keep it closed!"

Marion had a goofy grin on. "Oh, well then the wind must have jimmied it loose."

Rosetta stopped tapping her fingers. "You were spying on Sora?"

The young girl hummed. "I just wanted to see if the rumors were true."

"What rumors?" Sora hoped it wasn't too bad.

"That you're in a relationship with Leon."

"We went on one dinner date! I don't think that constitutes as a relationship!"

Marion looked up from her book. "Have you been hanging out with each other a lot?"

"W-Well, I guess—"

"Been on multiple food dates, like today's lunch?"

"Yeah, but—"

"And you get all mushy with each other or something?"

The star sputtered. "I wouldn't say that, it's more like—"

"Then you're seeing each other; and that's all relationship building things." With that said, Marion turned her attention back to her book.

Rosetta had never seen Sora's face that red.

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AN: Quick response to guest reviewer MK; I'm really happy that you're enjoying this story! And thanks to everyone who's reading this! I'm glad you all like it! : )


	26. Chapter 26

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Mia took in her friends' reactions.

Rosetta looked a little horrified, Sora and Anna were confused, and Marion had stars in her eyes. 'Sounds about right,' she dryly thought.

Anna was the first to speak up. "We're doing what now?"

Mia said it slower. "The story of Hades and Persephone. It's from Greek mythology…well, Roman too, except Hades is called Pluto and Persephone sometimes goes by Kore—"

"I know where it's from; I just don't see how it's a love story."

Mia stood up. "You can't see it? There's beautiful Persephone, out in the fields picking wildflowers, refusing the attentions of some other gods and then low and behold, there's Hades, looking at the beautiful goddess with an expression of longing as if he were struck by Cupid's arrow…"

"Some versions say that she's had his attention for a while by the time he pops up in the fields. He even made an agreement with her father Zeus to take her for his own," Marion chimed in with a dreamy expression.

"Yes! And of course Zeus didn't _tell_ Persephone or her mother Demeter about it! That's why they freak out!" Mia stomped her feet. "It's a story with potential love if certain things had been explained!"

Marion jumped to her feet. "If she had known, it would have been more like Hades was sweeping her off her feet instead of a sort of kidnapping scenario!"

"You understand!" voiced the two performers at the same time. Both Mia and Marion grabbed each other's hands excitedly.

Rosetta looked over at Anna and Sora. "But he never asked Persephone if she'd like to go with him. It's still kind of creepy and one sided."

Mia managed to hear Rosetta's comment over her discussion with Marion.

"It's still doable! There's really nothing written about Persephone's time in the Underworld while her mother's looking for her. We do get a scene when Hermes sees her to tell her not to eat the food of the Underworld or else she'll stay there."

"That part's always confused me," Marion stated. "She's told that, yet she eats some pomegranate seeds, so she has to stay there for like six months out of the total 12 months of a year."

Mia grinned. "Exactly! Now, just let me tell you my idea, ok?"

When there were no protests, Mia continued. "What if we look at Hades and Persephone as if they were in something like an arranged marriage? Hades did ask her father for her hand; so we can look at Persephone as someone who's unsure about it. Hades notices and decides to do something about it."

Mia's hands clasped together. "So he decides to woo her, shows her around the Underworld—there are other things down there than just dead people—they bond and interact, she grows more into her own character. In temples they put Demeter and Persephone together all the time, so this time away with Hades is like a time of self-discovery."

"Ok," Anna slowly nodded. Rosetta still looked a little skeptical and Sora looked thoughtful.

"So, Demeter decides that she misses her daughter and wants her back. Hermes goes down to let Persephone know and warns her not to eat anything. However," Mia gives a goofy smile, "she wants to stay with Hades. But she's heard that her mother's grief is destroying the crops and earth. So, what can she do to calm her mother but still be with Hades?"

"She eats the six seeds and stays with him for half of the year." Sora intoned. "She doesn't completely give him up and manages to calm her mother down."

"Then," Marion cut in, "it was a choice she made, not some stupid thing she just forgot she shouldn't do."

Anna stroked her chin. "That doesn't sound too bad."

Rosetta crossed her arms. "It's still a little creepy."

Sora smiled. "Good job, Mia! Where'd you get the idea from?"

Mia's grin was way too wide for Sora's taste. "Why, from watching you and Leon."

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AN: The whole wooing part of Mia's story and that Persephone wants to stay with Hades is from a graphic novel interpretation of the myth that I read. It was pretty interesting!

Like most tales, there are multiple versions of Hades and Persephone. I went with what I commonly see and parts that work for this drabble.


	27. Chapter 27

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Leon was driving them to a nearby café.

The normally talkative redhead was rather quiet in the car, but Leon wasn't sure if he should comment on it. He inwardly shrugged. 'If something's really bothering her, the behavior will continue and she might voice it out loud.'

He decided to be patient for a little while longer.

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Sora sat in the car with the strong desire to scream. 'Is my personal life no longer classified as private!?'

She still couldn't believe that her friends were spying on her. 'They probably made some kind of schedule or something of our practice times.' She wondered why she didn't have normal friends that simply _asked _her about her private life. 'I'd tell them! They're my friends, why wouldn't I?'

Sora sighed. 'But it's a part of who they are. They're dramatic people who don't like to do things the easy way.'

Not that she should be talking. She was one of the biggest risk takers among their group. May was pretty high on the risk taking scale too.

She looked at Leon from the corner of her eye. 'I'm in this car because I decided to take a chance with him.'

'This…relationship,' she lightly blushed, 'is probably one of the most daring things I've decided to do in quite a while.'

So far, she wasn't regretting it.

The car stopped at a red light.

Leon suddenly turned his head towards her. She made a little surprised sound and quickly diverted her attention to the front.

She heard him chuckle. "You are free to look at me, Sora."

Her cheeks heated up. "I was just thinking about something. I wasn't necessarily looking at you."

"Really now?" His fingers lightly gripped her chin and gently turned her face towards him. "Then, why did you jump when I made eye contact with you if you were only lost in thought?"

She pointedly ignored how hot her face felt. "I wasn't expecting you to take your eyes off of the road!" She tilted her chin up to slip it out of his hold. "Do I need to take over the driving?"

His eyelids lowered. "So I may look at you without distractions?" He leaned his head close to hers. "My, my, Sora…I didn't realize how bold you are."

"Y-You should probably check on the light."

"It's red."

"You didn't even look!"

His eyes held amusement. "I don't need to. The car in front of me hasn't moved yet, so it's still red."

His fingers came back to brush some hair out of her face.

She swallowed at the rather intimate gesture. "I thought you said you wouldn't make any moves."

He paused. "I was referring to kissing." The tips of his fingers moved to idly run through some strands of her hair. "However, if this is making you uncomfortable…"

She took in the way his face seemed so relaxed and the motions of his grey eyes as they followed his finger's trails. She couldn't think of a time when someone took the effort to just simply touch and look at her.

At least, not until she started going out with Leon.

She was used to being looked at while she was performing. Looks from friends and family were not uncommon either; but looks from someone she had feelings for outside of those two categories…

"…You can keep doing it." Her lips quirked up. "It's maybe a little spontaneous, especially while you're driving, but it's not uncomfortable."

He let out a small smile.

As she looked at the smile Leon gave her, the conversation about the upcoming show ran through her mind. 'Hades was already interested in Persephone before he appeared on the field…'

Unwittingly, Sora heard herself ask, "Is it the same with you?"

He gave her a slow blink. "Could you clarify the question?"

'I didn't mean to say that out loud!' She inwardly berated herself. "Ah…well, I guess I mean…when did you realize you have an interest in me?"

His hand pulled away. She took it as a bad sign. 'Was that too personal a question?'

She relaxed when she felt the car moving. 'Ah. The light changed.'

Leon didn't answer, but she was fine with that.

'_Why_ would I ask him that?!' She couldn't believe the things that slipped out of her mouth sometimes.

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AN: The name of the graphic novel that I used for most of Mia's script idea is called Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O'Connor.


	28. Chapter 28

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The next morning, Sora's question flitted through his mind as he stretched out in the practice room. 'Did she mean romantically or just in general?'

His eyes watched as she sat nearby with her front half bent over her outstretched legs and her hands gripping the soles of her feet.

A few years ago, he had been in a circus in Belgium when he had heard about a duo attempting the Legendary Great Maneuver in the United States.

"It's reckless," one performer said.

"Foolhardy and dangerous, that's what it is!" another had proclaimed. "They'll be dead just like the last pair that attempted it!"

He recalled thinking that it was daring and fearless. 'Perhaps one of them could be a good partner if they manage to do it.'

He had seen those same naysayers struck dumb when the feat was achieved. He hadn't seen the actual maneuver. There was a short clip of it that he managed to find, but it wasn't enough for him to gauge much.

Those that did go and see it said it was like nothing they had ever seen before. Their tones were filled with respect and reverence. "They were wings…two entities combined to create one pair of celestial wings."

Leon knew then, that he would have to go and see them for himself.

When he had contacted Kalos, he found that only one of the two was still able to perform. "There was an accident," Kalos had said. "Only Sora remains."

As a performer, he was shocked that the famous Layla Hamilton was the one who was injured. His warped mind had decided, long ago, that injured performers meant that they were not experienced enough.

He had thought the same when his partners were hurt.

Still, Leon went, even if there was only one partner left—the one he hadn't heard of.

When he saw Sora perform, he felt lied to, cheated even, by those who proclaimed how great the feat was, by Kalos, and by the heavens themselves.

It wasn't until she proclaimed that she'd do the Saiyuki show herself that he saw a glimmer of potential.

Sora sat up straight from her position. She lightly hopped to her feet. With a smile, she turned to address him. "Are you ready?"

Leon stopped stretching and simply looked at her.

He hadn't realized before, especially back when he had closed himself off from feeling anything in general. But looking back, he could see now. 'You were trying to fly with only one wing…of course you couldn't be at your best, trying to do such a thing.'

How hard she persisted and how relentlessly he tried and tested her.

"Why are you with me?" he voiced out.

Her smile faltered and then returned with a hint of confusion. "We practice together."

He sighed with frustration. "Not in the literal sense." He stepped up to her. "Why do you let me tease you, touch you, go on food dates with you?" When he saw the pink along her cheeks, he added in, "Why do you blush from the things that I say and do?"

She grew a bit bashful. "I'm pretty sure you know why I blush." She shot him a teasing glare. "You seem to know how to bring it out of me so often."

His brows furrowed at his inability to properly communicate his question. His hands brought her face forward. "Why do you _allow _me to do those things after all the hardships I put you through?"

Her eyes widened at his words.

Leon continued, finally breaking the wall that kept him from saying what he wanted to say. "I ignored your feelings, purposely used May to motivate you to rise up, put her in danger which scared you and everyone else…" his hands loosened around her face. "I did those things and more; all in _my _best interests."

Confused, self-loathing grey eyes tried to read her face. "Why?"

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AN: I've always wondered what he thought when he heard about someone doing the Legendary Great Maneuver. I mean, why else would he have come to the Kaleido Stage?


	29. Chapter 29

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Sora looked at those tortured eyes.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" she softly murmured. Her hand lightly touched his cheek. "Don't you think you've been hurting long enough?"

She leaned up to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Youneed to rest, but you can't do that until you let the _past_ rest."

"How can I be allowed to do that?" He lowly asked.

"By earning it," she murmured. "And you've been doing that." She softly smiled at him. "You stopped hurting others and you know that you've hurt people."

"Your regret right now…it comes from here." Her hand lay over her heart. "How can someone who feels pain there not be worthy of a reprieve?"

His eyes lightened slightly, but they still carried their weight. "I still do not understand how you are comfortable with me."

As she looked at his face, she could see that he _needed _to know her answer or else he couldn't move on in this relationship. She thought of their practices, the bets, the water fight, their lunch dates and the autograph he voluntarily signed for that boy at the restaurant. The hand that was over her heart came up to rest over his.

"Your heart's re-awakening," she warmly stated, "and it's magnificent."

He watched her tiptoe up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You're too forgiving," he murmured.

"Doesn't matter what you think," she lightly teased. "As long as I like you, you have no say in what I should do."

The gloom from his eyes disappeared. "You like me?" He already had a sense of that, but hearing it from her still sent an extra thump in his chest.

"Just a little," she lowly intoned, "But enough for this."

Before he could ask what "this" was, he felt the softest of brushes against his mouth. When he felt her lips softly connect with his again, he responded back.

She felt him lower his head so she could stop tiptoeing. He moved gently against her lips, enjoying the simple action and the warmth that formed from it.

Her arms wrapped around his neck to press her mouth more firmly against his.

A short jolt of electricity shot down their nerves when a knock sounded on the practice room door.

Startled, Sora abruptly broke off the kiss. Leon mentally sighed as she unwound her arms from his neck and stepped away from him.

He raised a brow at her stiff standing pose. "Am I correct in assuming you want me to answer the door?"

Sora had locked the door in order to prevent people from interrupting their practice. He personally had no problems staying focused when people suddenly popped in, but she had been quite adamant about it.

She gave a nod. "I-If it's not too much trouble."

He chuckled. "A wise decision." He reached over and touched her heated face. "You're quite red."

The door sounded again, this time a bit harder.

"Hey, you two!" May shouted from the other side of the door, "Kalos wants a new script meeting ASAP so get your butts out here right now! I don't have all day, you know!"

'It's official,' Sora wiry thought, 'they _do_ have a schedule of our practice times.'

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	30. Chapter 30

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"We should go," Sora stated with humor, "or else May's going to break the door down."

Leon's hand on her arm prevented her from moving. She looked up to see what the problem was. His eyes were thoughtful as he looked at her.

"From the Legendary Great Maneuver," he stated.

"What?"

"I've been interested in you," he restated, "from when I heard about the maneuver you pulled off with Layla Hamilton." His thumb rubbed circles on her arm. "As for romantically, I suppose I've been attracted to you since Swan Lake, or at least that's when I recognized the feeling."

His eyes glinted mischievously. "Your stunt during the performance made me realize that."

'People keep bringing that up.' Sora was glad that he wasn't mentally beating himself up, but she wasn't sure if she was prepared to handle the playful side of him.

"Like you didn't do anything either," she retorted. "I seem to recall someone leaning up!"

He tilted his head in satisfaction. "So you _did _purposefully lean down to me." His hand pulled her to him. She not so gracefully bumped into him. Her hands rested on his chest as she regained her balance. Before she could berate him about his action, she found herself face to face with Leon. "I hadn't realized what a tease you are, _Sora_."

His head angled slightly as his eyes heatedly looked at her. When she started to lean up to him, he gave a slight smirk and pulled away.

He walked towards the door.

She loudly sputtered at his back, "Who's the tease now?!"

Quicker than she thought was humanly possible, Leon suddenly turned back to her. She blinked and he was in front of her. She made a squeaking sound as his hand pulled her head forward.

He soundly kissed her.

May's banging on the door made him stop sooner than he would have liked.

Sora took in some air when he let go of her head. "W-Was that you claiming your bet?"

"Not even close." He gave her a crooked smile. "You wanted a kiss, so I delivered." His eyelids dropped slightly. "Don't hesitate to let me know when you want another one."

She crossed her arms. "I won't have to." She gave him a playful smile. "I'll get it myself next time."

Leon watched as she breezed by him.

He found himself impatient for the next time.

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	31. Chapter 31

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The next morning, the duo did a short warm-up routine before they tested out some moves that Mia's revised script described.

'One of the beginning scenes is with both Hades and Persephone after they spotted each other. Mia said it's like a chase, so we're free to move about.' Sora flipped to the next trapeze with Leon moving behind her at a much slower pace. 'Are we moving too slowly?'

Leon's eyes connected with hers. A slow grin formed on his face.

The action made her quickly swing to the next trapeze. 'He's purposefully going that slowly!' She wasn't sure why, but that fact made her more excited. 'I guess it's because I don't know when he's going to speed up.'

She knew that he could easily overcome her.

If she just keeps going around and around waiting for Leon to get bored and get her, that wouldn't be very fun to watch or to perform.

'What to do…' she spun over to the next bar.

She took a quick glance behind. He was still going slowly.

She grinned as a thought came to her, 'Why don't I give him a reason to speed up?'

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	32. Chapter 32

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Leon took his time following after Sora.

It wasn't the time to speed up yet.

A chase was only fun with stimulating prey. He didn't want to tell her what to do, so he simply waited for her to come up with an idea. It needed to be natural and something that Sora can see her character doing.

'Give me a reason to come,' he silently told her.

Yes, Hades wanted her. But if he was just patient, he'd get Persephone when she tired herself out.

'But would he really be alright with such a result?' Leon wouldn't be satisfied with that. 'If he's going to get her in the end, he would rather catch her while she's lively and energetic, not lethargic and running on empty.'

Her liveliness is what drew him to her.

Leon was in the middle of swinging to the next bar when he noticed that she was still at that bar. 'She hasn't moved away yet.'

He watched as she swung back and forth as if waiting for something. 'Is she taunting me?' He was already in motion so he simply traveled closer to her. Moments before he came, she grinned at him and launched herself into the air. She soared above him within a dangerously close distance. He attempted to grab her foot, but his reaction was too slow.

He grabbed the bar before he fell.

He turned himself so that he could see Sora. She sat comfortably on the swing he just came from. Her legs lightly kicked out as if she was on a playground swing.

"Missed me, missed me! Now you gotta kiss me!" she sang out.

His eyes lidded. "You shouldn't say false statements."

She continued to swing. "What makes you think it was false?"

"Are you referring to the first part or the second part?"

"Yes," she innocently stated.

Leon began to build up his momentum. "Can I hold you to that?"

She casually shrugged. "Sure." Her face transformed into something utterly tempting and sweet. "But it's meaningless until you actually catch me."

His eyes darkened with a heady emotion. 'That's a good motivator.'

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	33. Chapter 33

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The chase became exciting very fast.

Leon's speed increased and Sora's nimbleness helped her escape sticky situations.

Leon managed to briefly catch her hand or foot a few times, but she deftly twisted out of his hold and out of his reach.

He was getting rather desperate. The scene wasn't supposed to last too long and he was running out of time. By the huge grin on her face, Sora seemed to be enjoying his dilemma.

'Who knew this minx lived underneath that smiley face?'

He finally managed to grab her around the waist as she attempted to jump to the next bar. One arm held her as the other hand held the bar they were swinging on.

"Got you," he murmured with satisfaction.

She merely smiled as her legs wrapped around his torso. The action surprised him momentarily.

"Are you ticklish, Leon?"

Her grin sent warning signals to his mind, but it was too late.

Without further prompt, her free hands wiggled around the upper sides of his torso. To his utter dismay, he squirmed and his grip on the bar loosened. Instinctively, his other hand came up to grab the bar. When he felt the loss of her legs around him, he realized his mistake.

As she reached the other bar, she heard him shout something.

"Did you just curse in French?"

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	34. Chapter 34

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Leon silently drove them back from their usual café.

Sora wanted to laugh at his slightly sullen face. "Are you still upset that I tickled you during practice?"

He gave her a brief glance. "I had you."

"And then you didn't," she stated with barely contained laughter. The ends of his mouth were ever so slightly pointed down. 'His version of pouting, I guess.'

A few giggles slipped out at the thought.

He gave her a flat look. She giggled some more.

As he parked the car, she unbuckled her seatbelt so she could turn towards him. "How about I make you dinner tomorrow night? Would that pacify you?"

Leon leaned back into his seat. "Is this the dinner date you 'asked' me for?"

She twirled some of her hair. "Well for that date, I have a few restaurants picked out that I thought you might like. But if you would prefer to have me as the chef for the night," she lightly shrugged, "we can do that too."

He gently tugged her hand away from her hair. His hand stayed around hers.

She shyly looked at their hands. "You chose a place that _I _would enjoy; now, you get to pick a place that _you'd _enjoy."

Humor came into his eyes. "So which place would I prefer?" A few fingers ran along the palm of her hand. "After all, I had to choose the place for you. It makes sense that you would choose for me."

She shivered at the feeling he was causing on her palm. "You don't seem to be a fan of crowds, so I guess you'd rather have me be the chef."

He neither nodded nor shook his head.

She puffed out some air, causing her bangs to momentarily fly. "You're being difficult!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Not difficult, just fair." His hand withdrew from hers. "I did not get to ask you about my choice."

"I never said you couldn't."

"All the same, I didn't ask; therefore, I will not respond."

Her eyes narrowed. "Tickling's not cheating. You don't have to even it out by upholding the 'fairness' in other situations."

His eyes turned to the car clock. "You're going to be late to your costume fitting."

She waved the concern away. "It's more like the Boss wants to see if we can save money by using parts of other costumes."

"It's sound business."

"It's overdoing the penny pinching. We made loads of money with these last shows." She opened the car door. "But I guess it does make sense."

As she rounded the front of the car, Leon called out from his window. "What dishes will you be making?"

She walked to him and folded her arms over his rolled down window. "Why? Are you allergic to certain foods?"

"No."

"Then you don't need to know what I'm making."

"Hm." He leaned close to her. "So you don't know yet."

"Nope!" she chirruped. "But I'll figure something out, I always do."

He gave her a deadpanned look. "I reserve the right to refuse dishes that I deem inedible."

"It's for tomorrow night; I have more than enough time!"

A small smile appeared on his face. She really liked that look.

"I should go," she softly murmured. She gave him a peck on the cheek and then walked off.

He began to roll his window back up when he noticed her walking back to him. It smoothly rolled back down.

"Do you want to walk along the beach later today? The fitting should only be a few hours."

He nodded. "I'll return."

She gave a bright smile. "Ok. I'll call you when we're wrapping up."

When she leaned in to peck his cheek again, he quickly turned his head so their lips touched.

She "eeped" at the sudden switch. In her surprise, her head jolted up and connected with the edge of the car door. "Oww!"

Her hands came up to cradle the small bump forming.

One of Leon's hands covered his face as he shook his head. She could hear him laughing even though he was trying to hide it.

"Are you alright?" he managed to get out. "Do I need to kiss you to make it better?"

"You mean 'kiss it.'"

He smirked. "I meant what I said."

She pursed her lips. "Nice try, but no. That's the last time I'm kissing you through a window."

She couldn't help but think about how the movies make it seem so romantic. 'It's a death trap, that's what it is!'

He didn't hide his laughter this time.

She said a quick good-bye. "I'll see you in a few hours, you jerk!"

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AN: And Leon's being sneaky in order to get another kiss. :P


	35. Chapter 35

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Two of the Kaleido stars walked along the beach.

Sora had her shoes in one hand as she animatedly gestured with the other. Leon had one hand in his pocket. His head was turned towards her as he gave short responses every now and then.

From the top of the bluff, Ken watched as Sora lightly pushed Leon with a laugh. To his surprise, the somber man simply let out a half grin.

He had heard the rumors going around, but he wasn't sure if he should take them to heart. He honestly was just looking at the view when he spotted them down there. 'I already know that Sora doesn't see me as anything other than a friend.'

Though, if that was the case, then why did he feel his heart tightening?

'Is it because it's Leon she's with? Or is it that I haven't made my peace with that fact?'

His hand squeezed the railing.

"You're not doing yourself any favors by watching them."

Ken started at the voice. "May!"

The third star of the Kaleido Stage stood behind him with her hands on her hips. Ken quickly moved out of the way when she walked forward to watch from where he was looking. Her eyes followed the pair as Sora's hand brushed along Leon's.

"She doesn't like you in that way," May stated.

Ken didn't respond right away. He was watching as their hands threaded with each other's. He looked away from the scene to address May. She had her arms crossed as she leaned her hip against the railing.

"I know."

May hmphed. "Are you sure you know that? You looked like a kicked puppy when I came over here."

The carrot top's brows furrowed. "I'm sure."

May's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized him. Ken just looked back.

He assumed he passed her judgment because she relaxed her posture. Her head turned back to the beach. Ken kept his eyes on the Chinese acrobat.

"Why are you here?"

Her electric blue eyes darted back to him. She shrugged. "Just thought to test something."

When she didn't elaborate on it, Ken sighed and leaned his forearms along the bar. Her eyes turned to the ocean. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again.

"I think I'm ready," she murmured to herself.

Despite her low voice, Ken heard her statement. "Ready for what?"

Her piercing eyes flashed. "To let go."

Ken blinked at the statement. His eyes slowly made their way down to the beach. He watched the big, bright smile on the redhead's face as she turned to Leon. Silver hair floated behind the both of them; Sora playfully swung their hands as she spoke to him. Her other hand with the shoes pointed over to the nearby ice cream vendor. Leon gave a small nod and allowed himself to be pulled over to it.

"It won't be easy to follow through," he muttered.

May turned her attention back to the pair on the beach. Leon stood in a relaxed stance as Sora picked out a popsicle. He looked so calm with the faintest of smiles on his face.

"No," she conceded, "but it's for the best."

Now with her orange and cream popsicle, Sora nibbled a small corner. She lifted the treat up for Leon to try. Leon grabbed her hand, lifted the popsicle even higher and took a rather large bite out of it. May snickered at Sora's indignant face.

Leon laughed. May stiffened at the new sight.

Then she settled down again. 'It suits him. It's just off putting because I'm so used to his indifference.'

"Definitely for the best," she stated with renewed resolution. She straightened up and walked away. When Ken didn't follow, she snidely called out, "What are you standing around for? Do you want Leon to catch you peeping on him and his girlfriend?"

Ken's eyes widened with a bit of fear. 'Who knows what he'd do if he does.'

Quickly, he jogged to catch up with May.

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AN: I felt like I needed to address May's feelings towards Leon and Ken's feelings towards Sora.

Plus, this change in perspective added some variety to the telling.


	36. Chapter 36

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Sora knocked on Rosetta's door.

She tapped the toe of her shoe against the ground as she waited for her friend to come out. The door opened with a soft click.

"Sora?"

"Hey Rosetta! I was wondering if you know any good French dishes."

Mint eyes blinked. "I know a few, but why—" The younger girl stopped her question as she connected the dots.

_Sora + French Food + Dating= _"You're making food for Leon?"

The redhead lightly blushed. "Yeah. I decided to make him something for our dinner date. I brainstormed a few ideas when I thought some French dishes would be a good idea." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I, uh, heard about a few like escargots," she wrinkled her nose, "but I don't feel like cooking them. Or frog legs."

"Frog legs aren't solely a French cuisine." Rosetta leaned against the door way. "They're not so bad either. It's like eating a fishy chicken." She tilted her head in thought. "Though, I've heard that when you're cooking them the legs twitch because of the heat or something."

Sora blanched.

Rosetta quickly spoke up, "Ok, so no frogs. How about lobster?" She immediately winced as she recalled how they're cooked. "Maybe you should try a vegetarian dish."

"I think so too."

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AN: Yes, I know Rosetta's from Belgium, but in the series I believe it said that she lived in France.


	37. Chapter 37

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Sora grabbed a shopping basket as Rosetta entered the grocery store with her.

"Thanks for coming with me!"

"It's not a problem," Rosetta reached down for a basket as well. "I've been meaning to restock on my snacks."

They walked over to the produce section. Rosetta grabbed a few apples while Sora looked around.

She eyed the cucumbers. "I could make some tuna rolls with the vegetarian dish." Her eyes spotted the other items she would need. Carrots, chives, and lemons made their way into the basket.

Rosetta came over when Sora was picking out a few avocados. "Have you thought about what dessert you want to make?"

Sora paused in tying the bag. "You know, I hadn't really thought about it." She put the avocado bag in the basket. "I have some green tea ice cream and some cookies, but otherwise I don't have dessert items."

"Well, custards and pastries are good desserts."

Sora noticed the apples in Rosetta's basket. A grin appeared on her face. "I have an idea."

Rosetta trailed after Sora as she grabbed some apples, berries, and bananas. 'He's probably going to roll his eyes at it, but it's too good of an opportunity for me to pass on!'

As Sora giggled, Rosetta chimed in, "For the main dish, I was thinking that you should use summer vegetables. I saw some squash on sale over there." Her hand gestured behind them. "You'll need some French bread, chicken broth, and goat's cheese, I think."

"Ok, I'm still missing some items for the other dishes, so we can get those too."

"And maybe switch to a cart," Rosetta stated as she saw how full Sora's little basket was getting.

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AN: Inspiration's been flowing out. Seeing as finals are coming, this flow will make up for the pause that's going to happen.


	38. Chapter 38

AN: And it's the start of the dinner date! Yay!

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The sky was darkening and their dinner date was approaching with haste.

She stirred the big pot for a bit before she lifted some soup up for her to try it. Sora puffed some air over the mixture to cool it down. Then she tasted it. She lightly smacked her lips as she let the flavors roll along her taste buds.

"Not bad!" she stated with a grin. "I don't know if that's how it's _supposed_ to taste," she shrugged to herself, "but not bad."

She turned off the stove and covered the pot.

That done, Sora went to the freezer to check on the dessert. 'They don't need to be in there that long.' She switched the items to the fridge.

As she was setting her small table, a knock sounded on the door. Quick fingers undid the knot of her apron. She folded it and put it back in the drawer with the dish towels and oven mitts.

"Coming!" she sweetly called out.

Smoothing her dress over, she enthusiastically opened the door. "Hello Leon," she stated with a smile.

His eyes took in her pale blue sundress and the way her hair was piled up into a messy, yet strangely appealing bun. "Sora," he softly said with a slight nod.

Her smile grew as she noticed his navy blue dress shirt. "I guess we both got the blue memo."

He quirked a brow. She lightly giggled.

"I brought something." His hand lifted up a bag.

She took it with a "thanks." Going on her tiptoes she raised herself to kiss his cheek when she paused an inch or two away. He watched with no small amount of amusement as she exaggeratedly turned his chin to the side before her soft lips connected with his cheek.

He chuckled at her actions. 'Can't trick you twice, I see.'

She was about to pull away from him when a sort of giddy energy filled her. With a huge grin, she quickly placed a peck on his lips as well.

His eyes widened slightly and then he good-humoredly shook his head at her. 'It would take a lifetime for me to understand your mindset.'

"Come on in!" Her hand grasped his.

Leon shut the door as he entered.

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	39. Chapter 39

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Sora spoke as she led him to his seat.

"You're just in time! The food's nice and warm and—op!—I need to get the cups!" She spun around and headed for the cupboard.

Amused, Leon followed her actions with his eyes. His grin slowly faded as she attempted to reach for a cup on the top shelf. His eyes unwittingly traveled along her lean, curvy legs. He couldn't help but think how good she looked in those skin toned heels…

He caught himself leaning over. He snapped out of it.

Silently berating himself, he got up from the table to help instead of just sitting there checking her out.

He leaned over her to easily grab the cup. "If you can't reach them now, how did you get them up here in the first place?"

She tilted her head up to look at him. "I, er, usually just jump up onto the counter…but I don't think I should in this." Her hand gestured to her outfit.

He hesitated for a split second as he imagined her sitting on the counter and him kissing her into oblivion. He quickly shoved that thought away and grabbed another cup.

"Thanks," she chirruped as she was handed the second cup.

He nodded and silently went back to his seat.

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	40. Chapter 40

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"So what do you want to drink?"

Leon's eyes darted to the bag he brought. "You might want to pull out what's in there."

Curious, she grabbed the bag next to her. When her hands felt the neck of a glass bottle, she wiry stated, "I'm not 21 yet."

He casually crossed his arms. "But you're not a minor."

She raised a brow; he wanted to chuckle at the sight. 'It seems that I'm rubbing off on her.'

"How would you know my age? I didn't tell you." She playfully narrowed her eyes at him.

"Your friends weren't the quietest of peoples when your nineteenth birthday came last spring," he blandly stated. He thoughtfully tilted his head. "Technically, a minor in this country is someone who's below eighteen years old; you are above that age."

"I'm still not drinking the alcohol you brought."

"Who said it was alcohol?"

Sora pursed her lips; her hand pulled the bottle out.

"Apple cider," he smugly stated even though she could read the label. "I did not think you would be amendable to wine."

"Then why were we discussing ages?"

He shrugged. "You're the one that brought it up."

The bottle was placed on the table with a loud thud.

His smirk grew.

With a pout, she grabbed their bowls. 'Smart aleck.'

"Do you want some cider?" he called out as she walked to the stove. She shot him a look from over her shoulder. Leon was smirking so widely, his teeth were showing. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

"There's ice in the freezer," she thinly informed him.

By the light screeching of his chair, she knew that he was getting up. What she didn't know was that he wasn't heading for the ice.

His arms wrapped around her waist. Her hand dropped the lid back onto the pot.

He leaned his head down to gently nip the area behind her ear.

She felt the warmth of his body, the strength in his arms, and the promise of intimacy in his mouth as he nipped her again.

"Do not be angry." His arms pulled her closer. "I enjoy our banters as much as I enjoy our kisses."

Her head lay back onto his chest. "You're impossible sometimes." She closed her eyes as he nipped her a little lower. "But I'm not angry." Her eyes opened; her lips quirked up. "A little annoyed; but there's no damage done."

Her hand came up to touch his cheek. "Can you get some ice? I'll be over with the soup."

He turned his head to nip the fleshly part of her hand. "Of course," he murmured, watching the blush spread on her face and the way she subconsciously bit her lower lip.

'A sweet temptation.' He withdrew before he nipped something else.

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	41. Chapter 41

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Sora heard the clinking of ice against glass.

She shook herself out of her stupor. Grabbing the lid off again, she ladled some soup into a bowl. As she poured the soup into the last bowl, she halted in dreadful realization.

'I didn't do the bread part!'

The chair screeched again as Leon sat back down.

Anxiously, she stole a glance at him. 'Is it possible for me to do it without him noticing?' Her eyes took in the location of the fridge and the table. 'They're too close!'

She abruptly turned around. "Could you look away for a bit?"

He raised an eyebrow.

Her fingers fiddled with each other. "It'll be for just a few minutes. I need to do something and I don't want you to see it yet."

With a sigh, he closed his eyes.

She was elated, but then remembered how he tricked her into kissing him yesterday. "This isn't going to work; you'll peek!"

She couldn't see it, but he rolled his eyes at her beneath his closed lids.

She perked up as a thought came. "How about tape?"

"I refuse."

Sora tsked at the finality of his words. "Fine. Just wait here."

He heard her heels against the floorboards. Soon, he heard the sound coming towards him. Something fuzzy was wrapped around his head, covering his closed eyes.

"Ok, just to test this…how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two."

"You peeked!"

He threw his hands up. 'Of course I happen to guess correctly.'

"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I will not look."

"…How about you turn your chair around?"

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Looking over at Leon's back, she grabbed the goat's cheese from the fridge.

The French bread was still on the counter over by the stove, so she just slipped her hand into the utensil drawer and whipped out a butter knife.

Leon listened to her moving about. 'The things I do for her…' he inwardly sighed.

Had she dared to ask him this when they first met, he was pretty sure his glare would have set her on fire and not in the pleasant way.

'Though, I wouldn't be at her place to begin with,' he wiry thought.

He had never even thought that such a relationship would form between them when he came to the Kaleido Stage.

He had been disappointed in her; she had proclaimed to dislike him.

Now, he wanted her company whenever possible; by her invitation to walk on the beach yesterday and her expressed desire to cook dinner tonight, he was certain she felt the same way.

'How far we've come in about a month and a half,' he mused.

Including the time they started practicing together, he supposed it would be within almost six months.

He heard her come to the table. Items clinked and were shuffled around.

Silence.

Her hands began to undo the tie. He waited for her to do so. Then, suddenly, she stopped. He felt her palm rest along his face. "Thank you for humoring me," she softly said. Her lips touched his for longer than a peck but for shorter than he would have liked.

But he'd do this again for another kiss.

She resumed her previous task.

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AN: For those reading _Tangled Magic, _I am working on the next chapter. Some parts just aren't coming out like I'd want them to, so it's taking a while.


	42. Chapter 42

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Now back at the table, Leon peered at the covered bowl.

With a clearing of her throat, Sora had Leon's attention. "May I present our first course…" she dramatically uncovered the bowls, "…Soupe au Pistou."

He withheld a chuckle at her attempt in speaking French.

Seeing that she was still standing by him, he picked up his spoon and looked at the contents. A slice of toasted French bread with something creamy and white on it was partly in the middle of the soup. He could see cut up vegetables floating around in a clearish yellow-tan liquid. His spoon dipped into it.

What he fished out had him looking at her in a curious fashion.

"Stars?"

She twiddled her thumbs. "Ah, you see, when I was cutting up the squash, I thought about the vegetable and fruit cutters that Mia gave to me. And it's a yellow-orange color, so…" She sheepishly smiled. "I couldn't resist."

He put it in his mouth and took his time chewing it.

She had the feeling he was doing it slowly on purpose.

"Do you like it?"

"Not bad," he stated with a nod. She smiled.

Sora made to move when Leon's hands grabbed her waist.

She blinked at the sudden contact. "What's wrong?"

"Your setting's too far away."

She laughed. "I'm across from you, how is that too far?"

He remembered their last dinner date and how their chairs were side by side. His hands slid her against the table to stop in front of him.

"I want you closer."

Her mouth dried as his thumbs brushed along her stomach. "C-Closer?"

He lightly pulled her towards him. She swallowed as she stood with her legs touching the inner sides of his knees. 'I might as well be on his lap!'

Her embarrassment ebbed away a bit as she took in his expression. Petite hands grasped his.

"I can move my plates to the side of the table," she offered.

By his slight frown, she could tell that wasn't close enough. She sighed as her fingers entwined with his. "How about this: we eat the soup at the table and then for the rest of the meal, we can eat on the couch."

His head turned over to the sitting area. He scrutinized the size of the couch before he turned back to her and deemed the idea as acceptable.

She lightly shook her head at him. "Demanding even in your relationships," she teased.

He lazily drawled, "I know what I like."

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AN: Thank you, foodnetwork for this recipe and the upcoming one!


	43. Chapter 43

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After the soup, the pair moved their dinnerware over to the low coffee table in front of the couch.

Leon waited as she brought the next dish over from the fridge. Sora's hands undid the foil from the plate. "If you're not in the mood for this dish, I can get you some more soup."

The foil came off of the plate.

Grey eyes inquisitively took in what was presented in front of him. He recognized the seaweed, the tuna, and the thin sticks of cucumbers and carrots, but he had not seen this specific dish before. His fingers grasped one of the cone shaped items.

As he turned it this way and that, Sora stated with a bit of a laugh, "It's a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll." She settled down beside him. "They're pretty good. I think you'll like this."

He was about to take a bite when something green and mushy looking caught his eye. He slanted his eyes towards her. "You said 'spicy,' correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

He simply stared at her. Her brows furrowed in confusion before comprehension came. She looked at the green stuff in the roll.

"It's avocado."

She wanted to laugh at his hesitancy.

With an exaggerated sigh, she grabbed one to take a bite. When she straightened up after reaching for the roll, a mischievous idea came to her. She pulled Leon's hand holding the roll towards her and took as big of a bite as she could.

His eyes widened for a second and then settled back down.

"That's for eating half of my orange and cream popsicle," she said around the food in her mouth.

"You offered."

She swallowed the rest of the food. "I offered for a _taste_. Half is not a taste!"

"I fail to see how this proves that there is no wasabi."

"I can't handle really spicy foods." She thought about the first time she had some of May's cooking. "So the fact that I'm not running to the fridge for some milk proves that the green stuff is not wasabi."

When he still did not eat, she teased, "Are you still afraid girls have cooties?" She raised her untouched roll to his mouth. "We can switch if you'd like."

He finished off the rest of the roll in his hand. Then, he bit off the one her hand. When she held the rest of it for him to finish, he pushed it towards her.

"You ate my top half of my roll; I have bitten off your roll. The rest is yours." With a smirk he added, "Unless, of course, you're afraid of the so called 'cooties.'"

A little flustered to be eating something he just bit off of, her cheeks were a slight pink as she popped the rest of it in her mouth. She chewed it as Leon watched her. 'Why am I blushing about it? I ate the rest of the popsicle yesterday after he bit off of it.'

Her eyes took in his laid back form, his arms comfortably stretched out behind her on the back of the couch and along the arm rest. His grey eyes were lidded as they regarded her.

She swallowed hard. "I'll go get the dessert."

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AN: I capitalized the tuna roll's name since I did it for the French soup. Found it on foodnetwork


	44. Chapter 44

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Sora's hands lightly shook as they washed an apple.

'What was that?' When she looked at Leon, her stomach felt all tingly and her breath caught in her throat. She felt the urge to do something, but she wasn't quite sure what.

Mechanically, her hands dried the apple as she peeked over her shoulder. Leon was taking a bite out of another roll when he suddenly made eye contact with her. Her face flushed as she quickly turned her head forward.

The sound of his chuckles ran along her spine.

She took out a knife and the cutting board.

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Leon observed her from his spot on the couch.

Chopping filled the dorm room as he finished eating his roll. She moved over to the fridge and pulled out something. He watched with humor as she walked sideways with her back towards him. He could only assume that she didn't want him to see what was in her hands.

'It's better than having to blindfold me again.' Though, the kiss at the end was pleasant enough.

He sighed as his eyes closed. 'I shouldn't have nipped her earlier.'

The worst part was that she didn't push him away when he did it. It was a sign that she was growing more comfortable with him, but he didn't want to make her feel like she was being pushed into anything.

He wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss and nip her. However, he had decided that such actions should be initiated by her. He felt that was the best way to know when he could do those things.

Too bad his good intentions faltered every so often.

He was perturbed by his lack of control.

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	45. Chapter 45

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"Don't look," Sora said.

Leon gave her a flat stare. "Are you sure you don't need the blindfold?"

She gave him a smile. "I'll trust that you won't peek this time."

With a shake of his head, his eyes closed. When Sora told him to open them, two tall cups were placed on the coffee table. His eyebrow quirked at the blueberry eyes, raspberry nose, and long apple sliced ears. He picked up a cup and a spoon.

"First the squash stars and now this. You must have been in a playful mood today."

She giggled as she leaned against his side. "Do you not like the rabbit parfait?" Her hands wiggled an apple sliced ear from her own cup. "I think it's adorable."

He scooped up strawberries, banana, and frozen yogurt. "You're the only person I know who would have tried this on me."

"How dare I subject you to such a thing," she impishly stated.

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Despite his attitude towards the treat, he ate most of it.

She didn't think she'd ever forget the image of him holding such a childish dessert. 'It was definitely a rare sight. I doubt I can do it again.' A big smile formed on her face.

The arm along the back of the couch bent a little. His fingers lightly brushed along her upper arm.

"What has placed such a smile on your face?" he softly mused aloud.

She snuggled a little further into his side. "Just thinking about our dinner."

His fingers moved up and down, bringing back the tingly sensation in her stomach. Her head tilted up to him. "Did you like it?"

The motion of his hand slowed, but continued its action. Grey eyes gleamed with warmth.

"I enjoyed it," he murmured.

Seeing his focused eyes made her very aware of him. His hand moved up her arm, though this time, it continued up. Warm fingers grazed over her shoulder, her thin spaghetti strap, and then up her neck.

Her breath came out in a heavy exhale.

His fingers halted at the sound and then withdrew. When he saw her sitting up and leaning away from him, he inwardly cursed his self-indulgence. She placed her empty parfait cup onto the table.

To his surprise, she reached over and grabbed the cup from his other hand. He watched her carefully as her doe eyes looked over his face.

"What are you thinking about?" he heard himself ask.

Her eyes lingered on a certain part of his face before she met his gaze again.

"I'm wondering why you haven't claimed your bet yet."

He felt his body still. Even his breathing stopped for a moment. "Not yet," he murmured after he told his lungs to take in another breath.

She scooted a little closer. "What if I allowed you a freebie?"

He did not respond.

She pursed her lips as she thought. 'The only times he kissed me were because I "asked" him to and when he turned his head for the peck on the cheek.'

She decided on her course of action.

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	46. Chapter 46

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Still on the couch, Sora got up onto her knees.

The new position allowed her to be barely above Leon's sitting form. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders. Grey eyes silently took in her movements.

Her fingers felt the smooth strands that slipped past his shoulder.

She knew she could ask him for a kiss. All it would take was a few words. However, a bit of pride prevented her from asking.

Happy-go-lucky she may appear at times, but she still had her dignity.

Her heart was beating fast, and her stomach was a squirming mess. If she asked for a kiss, it didn't seem like it would properly convey the feelings he was bringing out in her.

'To be completely honest, I want to try to get him to kiss me voluntarily.'

Her eyes moved away from his hair and onto his face. Determinedly, she leaned her head down to softly brush her lips against his cheek. Slowly, she placed kiss after kiss in a feathery trail towards his mouth.

'I want my actions to turn his head,' she thought with some heat. When she came close to his mouth, she switched to the other cheek.

His hand that was on the armrest came up to rest lightly on her back.

She pressed her body a little closer to his.

Emboldened, when she came close to his mouth again, this time she continued until she reached the edge of his lips.

Playfully, she nipped him.

That action seemed to have done it for when she pressed down for another kiss she was no longer in contact with just a small part of his mouth. Her lips brushed against half of his mouth and then with another brush, his head turned completely towards her.

She softly sighed when their lips made full contact.

One of her hands moved from his shoulder to the side of his face. The arm that was lying along the back of the couch shifted. She leaned down closer as his arm wrapped her in a half embrace.

She shivered as his warm hand touched the back of her neck.

'This is definitely not a peck on the lips,' she idly thought as she pressed her lips firmly against his.

In response, his hand on her back slid around her waist. She softly gasped as she was brought fully against him.

At the sound, he broke off the kiss.

"Are you alright with this?" His hands rubbed against her body. She couldn't see why she wouldn't be.

She pecked his lips. "I like it." Her lips touched his again. "You can keep them there," she murmured against his mouth.

Half lidded grey saw the red on her cheeks and the warmth in her own lidded eyes.

He needed no further confirmation. His hand along her neck put some weight on it. Her own hand slipped from his cheek to the back of his head.

Both shivered as their mouths pressed closer together.

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	47. Chapter 47

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They were all gathered in Kalos' office for a breakdown of the upcoming show.

Leon sat on one of the plush chairs. Sora had been standing near him when a not so gentle tug from the back of her shirt had her clumsily plopping down onto his armrest. She had initially been bright red when Leon's hand casually rested on her hip, but once the meeting started, she wasn't so self-conscience about it.

If Kalos noticed that his top stars were getting cozy, he didn't let it show.

"Keep in mind that this is a tentative schedule, so be aware that this production may extend if the audience likes it; likewise, it might be showing for a shorter space of time than originally planned." Kalos pushed his lens up. "We'll be having a rough run-through in a week. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask them."

Sora spoke up. "If we're having it in a week, does that mean you already chose someone to play Zeus?"

Weeks ago, Mia told her they had tryouts for those who were interested in playing the role. According to her friend, Kalos wasn't too thrilled with any of the choices.

"Yuri's doing it."

Some exclamations arose. Leon's hand twitched on her hip.

"B-But Boss! I thought Yuri went back to France!"

Kalos crossed his arms as he leaned back onto his desk. "Not that it's any of your business, but he was the one that contacted me about it. Apparently, he's taking a break from his art school."

Sora looked over at May. 'So, I'll have May as a mother and Yuri as a father.'

She imagined Yuri standing next to May. 'I guess that works.'

Though, when May first told her she'd be playing Demeter, Sora seriously questioned Kalos' sanity. After some thought, she realized that May's no-nonsense attitude and her blunt advice were motherly…in a way. 'A really _strict_ mother.'

Sora could see why Persephone would want to stay in the Underworld if she had a mother like May...

May's glare snapped Sora out of her thoughts.

"What are you looking at?" May had her hands on her hips.

"N-Nothing!"

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AN: Yes, I did. :P I thought it would make an interesting play if May was Demeter.


	48. Chapter 48

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"Well, that was a surprise," Sora stated as she walked Leon back to his car. "I didn't think he'd have Yuri doing the part."

Leon let out a non-committal sound.

She stole a peek at his face. 'He's been kind of quiet since the meeting.'

"So, did you figure out what our beginning scene's lacking?"

"Perhaps."

She pursed her lips at the ambiguous response.

"It would be better if I try it out in practice instead of letting you know what it is."

"You're just being difficult again."

When they stopped by his car, he wrapped an arm around her waist. She "oomphed" as he pulled her against him. "You like pulling and tugging me around too much!"

He rested his forehead against hers. She lightly nipped his nose.

She giggled as he slightly jerked away from her nip. "Are we still good for Friday night?"

With a smirk, he responded, "Perhaps."

She attempted to bite his nose again. He spotted the threat this time and raised his head out of her reach.

"No fair!"

"It's not my fault you're so short."

"It's not my fault you're freakishly tall!"

He lifted her to sit on the hood of his car. "Does this help?"

She lightly blushed as he stood between her legs.

"Barely," she managed to quip. In a moment of inspiration, she wrapped her arms around his neck. The action caused him to lower his head a bit.

"This is better."

His hands found her waist. "Better for what?"

By his teasing tone, she knew he had an idea of what she meant. Ever since their dinner date at her place last week, she'd been sneaking in a kiss or two throughout the days. 'We're due for one,' she silently mused with humor.

One hand went up into his silky hair. She saw his eyes lid at the gesture. Softly, she placed kisses on his face. When she felt him leaning down to her some more, she knew it was time to act.

She bit his nose.

His eyes were wide as he jolted into awareness. She tittered against his neck.

"You should have—haha!—seen your face!"

He started to pull away. Seeing his sullen face, she pulled him back against her with a laugh.

"I'm done, I'm done."

With a smile, she cupped his face and kissed the tip of his poor nose. His slightly downturned mouth went back to neutral.

"And you call me 'impossible.'"

"Oh, the woes I've given you," she cooed.

He didn't get the chance to respond before her lips connected with his.

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	49. Chapter 49

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Sora swung herself to the next bar.

She took a glance behind to see Leon still at the same swing. 'He said he'd try out an idea during practice.' Gracefully, she lifted one leg onto the bar and then the other. Hanging upside down, she saw him staring at her.

'I wonder what he's thinking about.'

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He paused on his swing as Sora playfully stuck her tongue at him.

The scenario looked even more ridiculous with her upside down. He knew that was a part of the problem. 'During this whole scene, she's moving around like it's a game.'

But was it really a game?

'Perhaps for Persephone it is. For Hades however…'

So far, in their practices, the ending of the scene wasn't quite right. When Hades catches her, it just signals the end of playtime.

And that was a problem.

He came from the Underworld to get his bride. He indulges her in a little chase, taking enjoyment in her lively spirit, but at a certain point he needs to make his purpose known.

Although Ruler of the Dead, Hades was still a god. 'Would such a solemn god allow himself to be in the position of a chaser for so long?' Leon could see him doing it for a short while, but not for the whole scene.

Hades was powerful and well-known; the brother of Zeus himself.

By all reason, Persephone should be coming to _him, _not him chasing _her._

Somehow, he needed to bring her to him willingly. And for that, Persephone needed a reason to come.

She needed a reason to stay.

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	50. Chapter 50

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'Something's wrong. Why hasn't he come?'

Her ears caught the clinking of the bar. She twisted her head back to look at him.

Leon was still at the same swing, except he was no longer stationary.

Fluidly, he swung around and around the bar, adding in spins and flips before he smoothly caught the bar again. She was impressed at how he kept it so continuous.

This next round, he swung slower, but he was adding more power behind the swings. She could tell by the way his biceps bulged.

To her surprise, he started adding speed to the powerful swings.

When he rounded the bottom of the swing, he projected himself. Like a whirling arrow, he passed by three swings, including her own.

She let out a soft gasp. 'I hadn't seen that before.'

As he caught the swing in front of her, she prepared herself to move for when he started chasing her again.

But he didn't.

Instead, he did a handstand with one hand on the bar. Her eyes marveled the strong lines of muscle as his other arm stretched out horizontally. When he bent his arm to do a push-up, the other arm twisted to rest along his back. His arm muscles flexed with his actions.

She swallowed pretty hard as her mouth dried.

He started curving his spine and legs backwards. His head tilted up ever so slightly to catch her eye.

Slowly, she watched calm grey eyes light on fire.

He was an inferno.

The connection abruptly broke as he suddenly rotated around the bar and swung towards her.

She didn't have the chance to even _think_ about moving away.

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AN: Shout out to the reviewers and those who read this story! I'm excited that people are still interested in this! We've hit 50 drabbles/chapters and over 2,000 views for this month alone! Wow! :D


	51. Chapter 51

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There was the briefest of moments when his hands grasped the bar and their eyes connected.

He couldn't possibly label all the things he saw in those big brown eyes. But what he did see was life, passion, and the darkening hints of desire mixed with the lightest gleams of affection.

The most impactful was a future.

It made him quiver inside.

The feeling of her legs wrapping around him brought him back. Her hands touched his face, her eyes darted everywhere. Determined hands gripped the back of his head.

With a whimper, she kissed him. Hard.

He nearly lost his hold on the swing.

Distractedly, he brought his legs up to the bar in order to have them sitting. As he attempted to pull them up, her legs tightened around him and her arms wrapped around his neck.

The kiss softened, but its intensity stayed.

He gave up what he was doing in favor of participating. His hands let go of the swing and allowed gravity to carry them down.

When they fell onto the net, he grunted as Sora's weight pushed onto his stomach.

She broke the kiss. "Am I too heavy?"

He shook his head. "It was just the fall."

Satisfied with that answer, she kissed him again.

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	52. Chapter 52

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Hands tangled in locks of red and silver.

Soft mewls and exhales of breath came from the two figures caught in the net. He slanted his mouth as she began to nip his lips. When her mouth broke away from his to wander along his jaw, his hands came forward to cup her face. His thumbs brushed her cheeks.

He murmured, "We most likely cannot do this during the show."

He felt her body shake with laughter. "Probably not."

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Sora ran her fingers through her tousled hair.

She let out a grin at the sight of a few strands out of place on the normally impeccable form of Leon.

"You might want to fix your hair."

He answered her with a slow blink.

With a playful roll of her eyes, she wobbled her way on the net to kneel behind him. He merely stayed seated as she carefully ran her fingers through his hair. She inwardly admired the silky texture.

"So," she started, "that was your idea? Show off for a bit and then make me kiss you?"

He turned his head towards her in order to raise an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't make you do anything," he murmured with amusement. "Your reaction was your own."

She was annoyed at how easily he could make her blush. "You're still a show off."

Slightly offended, he haughtily corrected, "I was exhibiting my prowess as a god."

"Peacock," she muttered under her breath.

She started when his head turned almost all the way around to her.

"I didn't catch that," he neutrally stated, "Would you care to repeat it?"

She mumbled out a "no," and turned his head so she could continue. He refused to turn all the way back to the front. Her fingers tugged a part of his hair.

When his eyes stared unblinkingly at her, she threw out an excuse. "Tangle."

He cocked a disbelieving brow at the explanation.

"Everyone gets them from time to time," she cheekily informed him, "That includes you."

She began to mentally pat herself on the back for the comeback when Leon suddenly lunged at her.

She squeaked as his arms swung her onto his shoulder.

Indignant at the pose, she smacked his other shoulder. "Don't carry me around like a fresh kill, you caveman!"

He stood up. "It's only temporary."

True to his word, he slipped her from his shoulder and then manipulated her legs and arms to wrap around him.

She found herself face to face with him.

"S-Sorry for the smack." Her face burned at the amusement in his eyes. "And for calling you a caveman."

The red grew as he simply looked at her. She wondered if she should add something else. Then, a glint of mischief appeared in his eyes. She stiffened in his arms.

He nipped her nose. She squeaked again.

With a chuckle, he moved them off of the net.

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	53. Chapter 53

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Leon reclined himself on her couch. She smiled at how relaxed he was at her place.

"Make yourself at home," she needlessly stated, "I just need to reheat our lunch."

The back of his head laid on the armrest. For some reason, he felt tired today. Training wasn't difficult; they just had to iron out some details and they should be fine for the run-through.

His eyes closed. He could hear the microwave going and Sora filling something up with water.

The metal clank had him cracking an eye open. 'Tea kettle.'

Some green tea sounded good.

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Sora pulled out two mugs for the tea.

"I made some more tuna hand rolls. Did you want me to take them out too?"

She shuffled over to the pantry to take out her tea tin. The microwave sounded off; she put the tin down near the mugs and took out the ready plate of food. When she still didn't hear a response, she looked over.

Leon's face was turned away from her, but she was assuming his eyes were closed.

'Did he fall asleep?'

Sora turned the stove off and moved the kettle to a cool burner.

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A soft, cool hand touched the side of his face.

"You're burning up," Sora quietly stated.

Tired grey eyes opened. He lazily watched as she brushed his hair back.

"Do you need some water?" Her hand moved away. "Or maybe a cold compress?"

He blinked at her retreating form.

His eyes closed again as she went to grab the stuff she mentioned.

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She placed the now empty cup of water onto the coffee table.

The Advil was next to it.

Her hand flipped over the damp hand towel to let the cooler side rest on his forehead.

"The medicine should kick in sometime."

He opened an eye to look at her. She giggled at the image he made.

Her blanket with flower patterns covered over half of him; he didn't want to be completely under it. She brought her comfy pillow over for his head to rest on. Thankfully, the pillow cover wasn't one of her more girly ones.

Though, seeing him resting on cartoony ladybugs was almost too much for her.

"I didn't think I'd live to see the day when you got sick," she teased when the eye stayed open.

The eye rolled at her and then closed. "You've wondered how I'd be when I'm sick?"

That was a new one for him to hear.

From the more vocal fans, he's heard of more…colorful imaginings and not just from this country, which is why he liked to keep the meet and greets to a minimum and for a very short amount of time.

He heard her laugh. "Don't worry; I won't tell what I've seen."

He felt the couch move as she got up. Her fingers grazed his cheek.

"Rest for a while. I'll make some soup."

"With stars?" he wirily asked. Both eyes opened to see her reaction.

Her eyes twinkled; her big grin made a small smile appear on his face.

"Perhaps," she stated, and then whirled around to the food cabinet again.

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AN: Ok, "one of them sick" scenario's been bouncing around my head for a while. I thought now was a good time to do it.


	54. Chapter 54

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The smell of food awoke him.

Then, Sora's light humming caught his ear. She sat at the kitchen table working on something. His eyes squinted and he saw a jigsaw piece between her fingers.

"The sky's always one of the hardest parts to do," she muttered to herself.

The couch squeaked as Leon lifted himself to sit up. Her eyes darted over to him.

"Did you have a nice nap?"

He removed the hand towel from his forehead.

"It was sufficient."

She smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Though, I'm sure you'll need more rest." She placed the jigsaw down. "The soup's still warm if you want something to eat."

With his nod, she got up from the table.

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Letters made out of pasta floated in the tomato soup.

Sora made herself comfortable on the couch. "Ok, so before you eat the alphabet soup, you have to spell something."

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

She reached over for her bowl on the low table. "The first one to spell something wins."

"What's the prize?"

"You get the satisfaction of being number one."

He didn't pick up his spoon. She blew her bangs.

"Fine. You get a kiss."

"I already won one."

Her lips quirked up. "Then you win two of them."

"Don't tempt me," he murmured as those pink lips silently mocked him. 'Soon,' he thought. 'Very soon.'

Sora didn't notice his stare. Idly, she stirred her soup as she thought of a prize. 'What would he want?'

She stopped as a thought occurred.

"If I win, _you'll _make me a pastry and it has to be at least as big as my hand. If you win, _I'll _make you a bento box."

He let the prize roll around in his sleepy mind. "Agreed. Is there a certain minimum length the word has to be?"

Her spoon tapped the top of the bowl as she considered. "How about over four letters?"

"Only over four?"

"It's not as easy as it sounds, especially when you're trying to do it fast."

"Alright."

"Grab your spoon; I'm going to count off."

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She bit her lip as she attempted to look for the last letter.

'Where's that "h" I saw earlier?'

"Ah!" she cried out as she almost lost a letter on her spoon. 'That was close!'

She quickly peeked at Leon. His eyes were searching the soup. 'Oh good, he's not done yet!'

Her eyes widened at she spotted her target. Like a pelican getting a fish, she swooped up the "h" from the liquid tomato soup.

"Done!" she crowed.

She looked over to see Leon's spoon up too. "Did we finish at the same time?"

He shrugged. "I suppose so."

She laughed. "Ok, so you owe me a pastry and I owe you a bento box. What did you spell?"

"You first," he stated.

She turned her spoon towards him. "Grouch" was spelled on it.

He raised a brow.

"A certain person inspired me," she said with mirth.

"I wouldn't be so smug, if I were you." His spoon turned towards her.

"Tease" was written on the silver surface.

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AN: Leon's word was inspired by May96's review. Haha! It was too good of an idea for me to pass on.


	55. Chapter 55

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Sora folded her blanket up as Leon was in the bathroom.

'He said he's feeling better, but I don't think he should be driving yet.' She bit her lip nervously.

Leon walked out of the bathroom to find Sora sitting on the couch with her hands folded on her lap. When he came closer, she stood up.

"I know you need to go back, but maybe you should rest some more."

"I'll be fine," he murmured. "The nap and food gave me energy."

He bent down to grab his keys from the coffee table. Her hand shot out and rested on his hand.

"Most medicine labels warn people from driving while taking it. It impairs proper reaction reflexes and vision in some cases."

Her hand trembled for a brief moment. Curious, he gazed at her face.

Was he mistaken, or did he see some deep rooted fear in her eyes?

With a sudden realization that he didn't know _how _her parents died, he found her concern to be touching, even if it was a little overboard.

"…I could call a cab."

She bit her lip. "I don't mean for you to spend money needlessly."

He sighed.

"I can't stay here." His hand turned over to thread their fingers together. With a half grin, he joked, "I know you want to keep me, but I don't think your couch would be comfortable for the whole night."

"Conceited peacock, that's not what I was thinking of."

"I know." His thumb ran over her knuckles.

She squeezed his hand. "I'll drive you home and then just take the bus back."

His head turned towards the window.

"It's still light enough," she answered his unspoken question. "It'll be fine."

She let go of his hand to grab his keys.

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	56. Chapter 56

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Although she had seen the inside of his car before—and even cleaned it—she still felt a little daunted by all the dials and whatnots.

'What the heck are these things for?!'

Sora leaned over to buckle her seatbelt when she saw that she should probably adjust the seat first. 'My feet aren't even close to touching the pedals.'

It was official: Leon is freakishly tall.

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Before sitting inside, Leon adjusted the passenger seat.

He chuckled under his breath.

She was definitely short; his legs would have been cramped up.

Once the seat was backed far enough, he ducked his head and sat inside. As he buckled his seatbelt, he heard the whirring of the side mirrors as she adjusted them.

He still couldn't believe that he was letting her drive his car.

Leon turned to see her fiddling with the keys. The car came to life. Her hands tested the lever near the steering wheel.

The windshield wipers turned on.

"Do you need any help?"

"Uh, no, I'm just seeing what's what."

Water sprayed the front window.

"…I meant to do that."

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Finally finding the turning signals, Sora took a breath in.

"Ok, you got your seatbelt on?"

He raised a brow at her.

'Here we go!' She hit the gas pedal.

Sora had a miniature heart attack as the car shot forward. They were jolted as the car got onto the sidewalk.

Her foot hit the brakes.

"Sorry!" she gasped out. "I'm so sorry! I forgot to switch to reverse!"

Once he was able to breathe again, Leon loosened his grip on the door and seat cushion.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. 'How is this safer than me driving?'

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The drive out of the Kaleido Stage parking lot was a bit jerky.

Sora had to get used to the sensitive pedals and not push down on them so hard. Once she did get the hang of it, the driving was pretty smooth.

Leon found himself a lot less tense as they came closer to his place.

"You're going to make a left at this light."

"Ok," she chirruped.

Seeing that the light was still green, she kept going at the same speed. When it turned yellow and she didn't slow down, his hands started to blindly search for things to grip.

"It's yellow," he stated.

She furrowed her brows. "Yeah…but I still might be able to make it."

To his shock, she sped up. His mind blankly registered the color change, but she was still going at the new speed. Then, with a loud screeching sound, the car stopped. Both of them lurched forward.

"Drat!" her hand smacked the wheel.

Leon's hands were still gripping the car.

She turned to him with a smile. "Your car has great brakes!"

'Thank God for small miracles.' Leon merely nodded at the praise. He was beginning to see why she didn't have a car.

'It should _stay _that way for the rest of her life.'

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When she finally parked the car, Leon finally relaxed.

He had never felt so glad to be out of his own car.

Sora walked him to the door. "Here are your keys."

He forced himself not to snatch them out of her hand. 'And never, ever, let her have them again. Not even if I'm incapacitated and she's the only one that could take me to the hospital.'

Hell, he'd let Yuri drive him there before he'd let Sora.

"I know I must have worried you a little while I was driving," she embarrassedly looked at her feet, "It's been a few years since I've driven, but it's like riding a bike; you don't really forget how to do it."

'Except this "bike" is a few tons of metal,' he mentally added.

Her hand came up to touch his face.

Leon saw her doe eyes smiling at him. "You're not burning up anymore. That's good."

His mind sobered as he recalled _why _he let her drive.

He grabbed her hand and turned it over for him to kiss her palm.

"Thank you," he murmured.

Her cheeks were rosy. She stepped close to him.

It looked like she was leaning up for a kiss, but then she halted. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. His arm came around her.

"Don't I get a kiss?"

"Not today," she stuck her tongue out, "you got the sick cooties."

Sora pulled back. "Don't come to practice if you're not feeling well. Actually," she put her hands on her hips, "I'm declaring tomorrow as a 'No Practice Day.'"

She pointed a finger at him. "I'll haul you out of the practice room if I find you there, so don't even try it, mister!"

He wanted to laugh at her attempt to look intimidating.

"Go home," he waved a hand, "it's getting dark."

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AN: I actually would forget to switch to reverse when I was first driving. I would tell myself to do it and then, I guess I would think that I did it already and...zoom! Wrong way. :P


	57. Chapter 57

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Despite the fact that they didn't have practice, Leon still woke up very early.

He forewent his trapeze training outfit for some regular sweatpants and a t-shirt. The table in the living room was pushed out of the way and then he began his stretches.

Somehow, it didn't feel the same.

Regardless, he continued, and threw in some exercises that were doable in the space that he had. Leon was balancing one handedly on his balcony railing when he heard his cell phone going off.

He ignored it.

A beeping noise let him know that he missed the call. 'If it's important, they'll leave a message.'

After two hours of exercises, he went to take a shower.

When he stepped out, he went to check his phone. He scrolled to "Missed Calls." The number read as "Restricted."

'I don't see any voice mails.' He shrugged.

Though, he did see some new text messages. He walked into the kitchen as he opened his messages.

Sora: _Good morning! Remember, no practice today._

His other hand opened the Advil bottle Sora gave him. He popped in a few pills as he read the next message.

Sora: _Can I come over? If you don't respond in five minutes, I'll assume that it's ok._

He chuckled. 'She must have felt that it was strange that we didn't meet up for practice this morning.' He checked the time she sent it. 'Fifteen minutes ago.'

Good thing he showered already.

He left his phone on the counter as he went to grab something to eat from the fridge. His hand grabbed the orange juice and a carton of eggs.

When he was pouring a glass, his phone rang. Seeing that it was the restricted number, he let it ring.

It beeped again but no voice mail was left.

'Must be a solicitor.'

The frying pan clattered onto the stove. He was turning the burner on when his text message alert went off.

He casually swiped his phone from the counter.

Sora: _Don't eat breakfast!_

He gave the phone a flat look. With a sigh, he turned the stove off.

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	58. Chapter 58

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Knocking came from the front door.

Leon strode over and opened it.

"Good morning!" Sora stood there with a tote bag full of items. She had a long sleeved top on as Fall was coming, but it wasn't chilly enough for her to wear a jean skirt.

He murmured a "morning," as he slid the bag straps from her shoulder. She gave him a smile and walked in. He curiously peered into the bag.

Bottles, chopsticks, something bamboo rolled up…

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Fine." His hands took out a bottle with foreign lettering. "What's this?"

Sora finished slipping her shoes off. "That's _mirin_. It's a cooking wine that's sweet and made out of rice. I managed to find a store that sells a lot of foreign goods."

He placed the bottle back into the bag. "I'm assuming this means we're making breakfast."

"Yep! I thought you might be interested in trying out _tamagoyaki_. It's sort of like an omelet, but it's rolled up and log shaped before you cut it into bite sized portions." She followed Leon into the kitchen. "I brought some items that I didn't think you had."

"What else is need?"

"Well, eggs, for starters." With a grin, she stated, "I assumed you had some."

When he quirked a questioning brow, she mischievously said, "You like _omelette au fromage_, right?"

He gave her a blank stare. She squealed when he grabbed her and swung her over his shoulder.

"I was joking!" she said with a laugh, "Put me down!"

He smirked. "You don't like this?"

He moved to the center of the kitchen. Sora clutched his shirt as he spun around in place. She giggled.

"No, but only because your hair's smothering me." Her hand removed several silver strands from her face.

As he slowed to a stop, he allowed her to slip down from his shoulder. Her legs went around his torso before she slipped down too far.

He set her on the counter.

She shivered as his hands took their time unwinding her legs from his waist. Her arms stayed around his neck. When he leaned his forehead down onto hers, she pressed slow, soft kisses onto his lips.

"What am I going to do with you?" he murmured with false exasperation.

He felt her smile against his mouth.

"Hmmm…" she stated. Making that sound made her lips purse and rub against his. She slightly turned her head side to side, exaggerating the brushing motion. "Beats me."

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AN: I rewatched an episode of Dexter's Lab (1990's cartoon show) when all he could say was "cheese omelet" in French. Though, in the show, he says _omelette du formage _but from what I understand, it's supposed to be _omelette au formage._

So, Sora's joke is a little reference to that. I couldn't resist. : P


	59. Chapter 59

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Sora's fingers felt his smooth hair as she kissed him.

Her raised arms lifted the hem of her top. Leon's hands discovered the exposed area. He was fascinated with the soft skin and the subtle strength found in her toned stomach; his hands weren't planning on leaving anytime soon.

She mewed as his fingers unhurriedly perused her belly and lower back.

His mouth abruptly broke away from hers and immediately latched onto her neck.

'That works too,' she idly thought in a haze of sensation and pleasure. His nose nudged at her underjaw. She tilted her head back and back…

Clunk!

…And right into the cupboard door. Her hands released his hair in order to cradle her head.

"Why do I keep hitting my head when I'm kissing you?" she groaned out.

The vibrations of Leon's laughter tickled her neck.

She mentally crossed out another romantic movie scenario.

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After the embarrassing ending of their little interlude, Leon got the eggs out.

She made to jump off of the counter. His hands on her waist stopped her.

"Stay here," he stated.

"Why?"

His eyes lidded. He leaned his head to her ear. "I'm not done with you."

He nipped her jaw and then moved back to the fridge. "What else do you need?"

'You,' her mind breezily stated. Her cheeks warmed.

She cleared her throat in order to refocus. "Something to drink would be nice."

Her mind erased the previous cross out.

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	60. Chapter 60

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Sora lightly mixed the ingredients in a bowl.

Leon was next to her as he flipped a pancake.

"Remember not to overdo the whisking. It'll add too many air bubbles to the eggs when we're cooking them."

His eyes looked at the concoction and then at the bottles that sat near her.

"Is that a soy sauce bottle?"

"Yep!"

He looked into the bowl. "What are the white chunks floating around?"

"Grated daikon radish."

He mentally added the _mirin_, the sugar, and the salt to the list of ingredients. 'Plus the concoction from that other mystery bottle.' Leon flipped the pancake onto the plate on the Sora-less counter space to his left. As he poured more batter onto the griddle, he thought, 'Her dish will be an interesting flavor.'

He wasn't sure what to think of the ingredients, but he'd wait and try it out first.

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Leon watched as she rolled the partly cooked egg concoction over with some chopsticks.

Then, picking up the folded paper towel with oil, she recoated the pan before she poured out some more egg mixture.

"Remember to get the newly poured egg under the rolled up egg." She lifted her head to look at him. "Do you want to give it a try?"

She offered the chopsticks.

He took them. "I just roll it?"

"Roll it into a log!" she chirruped.

He turned the pan so he could roll it better.

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When he was pouring the fourth layer of egg, she spoke up again.

"Ok, you can pop the air bubbles now. We have enough layers that it won't matter if there's a little hole."

The chopsticks poked a few bubbles. "How many layers are there?"

"Well, with three large eggs, it's usually six layers. But honestly, you just use up what's in the bowl." Sora lightly swung her socked feet.

Her feet paused. "Say, do you eat sausages?"

"From time to time." He began to roll the egg. "Why? Do you want some?"

"Not really." Her feet moved again. "Just wanted to know."

He slightly shook his head at her.

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Two plates with pancakes, cut up _tamagoyaki_, and orange slices greeted her eyes.

"Breakfast time!" she cheered. Sora was going to move to the table when Leon came over with their plates. He left to grab his cup and some napkins.

"Do you need more milk?"

"No, I'm good. But do you have strawberry jam?"

"I have boysenberry."

"That'll work!"

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AN: If anyone's interested, I got the information about the _yamagoyaki _from the site: justonecookbook . com (get rid of the spaces)


	61. Chapter 61

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Sora bit into her pancake. 'How did he make them so fluffy?'

Whenever she made some, they were pretty stiff.

Leon stood next to her. He took a bite out of the _yamagoyaki_. New flavors teased his taste buds, but he couldn't tell if he liked it or not. 'I suppose I'm just not used to my eggs tasting like this.'

He finished the portion on his fork.

"Rosetta took a while to get used to the taste," She bit her last _yamagoyaki_ piece, "It just takes getting used to, I guess, especially if you're used to something else."

Sora grinned at him as she swiped a piece off of his plate. "So don't feel the need to finish eating it if you don't like it." She bit some egg. "It just leaves more for me."

When she was biting off the last part on her fork, Leon put his hands on either side of her. His motions must have surprised her since some egg was still hanging out of her mouth.

With a roguish smirk, he covered his mouth over hers.

She felt herself stiffen when his lips parted and bit the rest of the egg. He pulled back as he chewed his reclaimed portion.

"The taste improves."

Her eyes were wide and her heart was wildly fluttering like a chicken with its head cut off. 'Did he just—' She blinked as he began to move away.

Her hand, with a mind of its own, speared the fork through another egg piece from his plate.

'I must be going insane,' she thought as she allowed her hand to continue, 'if I _really_ want to increase my heart rate to dangerous levels.'

His eyes followed the egg's progression as it moved up, up, and stopped in front of her mouth.

Her eyes connected with his briefly; he saw the quirking of her lips as she bit the egg off of the fork. He noticed that she left half of it hanging out of her mouth.

A red brow rose; he needed no further invitations.

His hands brought her head to him. He covered her mouth a little more forcefully than the last time. He pulled back a little to chew the egg he had gotten.

She whimpered a little as her free hand tugged his shirt. Her feet uncrossed so he could come closer. He took those as signs that she finished what she had as well.

Her hand finally put down the fork in favor of gripping his shoulder. Mouths heatedly met, she couldn't believe how hot her body was getting.

He exhaled through his nose as her legs wound around him.

A phone sounded off; she could barely hear it over the roaring in her ears.

Leon groaned—whether out of pleasure or disappointment, she knew not. All she cared about was this contact they were having. And as long as he was continuing, it wasn't a problem.

One of his arms went around her waist. He lifted her off of the counter with ease.

They went over to where his phone was. He leaned over to read the caller id. Sora giggled as she was bent over a little as a result of his movement. His eyes saw a name; he withheld a curse.

"I need to take this," he murmured between kisses.

"Ok," she said and then pressed his head down for a longer kiss.

He was sorely tempted to just let the call go. Thankfully, she released her hold. Though, his mind wasn't sure if he really wanted her to have done that…

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	62. Chapter 62

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As Leon grabbed his phone, Sora slipped off of him.

Or tried to. Leon wouldn't let go of her waist.

Her nose scrunched up. He noticed the action and tightened his hold on her.

She squeaked. His eyes were full of mirth.

She was going to retort when he pressed the phone to his ear and greeted the person with one word.

"Kalos."

Her mouth clamped closed.

Leon listened as Kalos talked. She watched as his mirth was slowly subdued.

"He's there?"

She leaned herself forward in order to hear the conversation. Her lips pursed as she caught the words "practice," "scenes," and "show."

Sora felt his chest expand a little as he quietly sighed. "What time today?"

As if those were the magic words, she used Leon's shoulder to pull her closer to the phone.

"Sorry Boss; today's a 'No Practice Day'!"

Her other hand slipped the phone out of his hand and ended the call.

Leon slowly blinked at what just happened.

"You do realize," he started as he snapped out of his stupor, "that you just hung up on Kalos, the _owner_ of the stage we perform on." His face looked like a strange crossover between impressed and incredulous. "He has the ability to fire us at any given time."

She nonchalantly shrugged. "The Boss is used to me doing stuff like that."

He arched a brow. She ignored it.

'He'll get used to it.' Everyone else was aware that she did things that others wouldn't dare to do to their boss…and somehow got away with it.

"It's going to be the afternoon and he expects you to drop what you're doing and come running over? He should have given more of a heads up!" Sora made a face.

"Besides," she briefly kissed him, "you deserve a break."

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The monotonous dial tone sounded over the speaker phone.

Kalos sat back in his chair.

"Was that _Sora's _voice?"

The Kaleido Stage owner inwardly sighed. "Yes."

'Who else would even _think _about hanging up?' He turned off the speaker.

"But you called _Leon._"

Kalos looked at his former leading male star. "Yes."

Yuri's face held disbelief at the implications. Kalos stood up.

"You can ask someone else for the latest gossip." Kalos' blunt tone prevented Yuri from asking any other questions. "In any case, Leon heard the time; he's punctual, so don't be late."

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After she helped Leon clean up their breakfast, she found herself in his car.

Sora crossed her arms. "I still don't see why we have to go."

"I'm the one that was called to come in." He made a right turn into the parking lot. "You aren't needed in the practice."

She blew her bangs. "I know, but…" she shyly looked at him from the corner of her eye, "I don't want to leave yet."

His eyes momentarily looked at her. "Hm."

Leon parked the car. He took in the time on the car clock before he killed the engine.

"It seems we're early."

Her heart skipped as she watched him unbuckle his seatbelt and lean over her. His long hair lightly tickled her face.

Her hands undid her seatbelt.

"Imagine that," she breathed out as he ran his fingers along her jaw. "Whatever will we do?" she airily questioned as she scooted closer to him.

He did not respond; though, his fingers fleetingly grazed her bottom lip.

His eyes darkened as her hands pulled his head down. Their lips impatiently collided. It didn't take them long for their mouths to seamlessly mold into each other.

His silver hair curtained them off from onlookers.

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	63. Chapter 63

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Leon stood outside the main hallway for the practice rooms.

Unfortunately, he only heard the time when Sora hung up on Kalos. He will just have to wait and see what room number they'd be in.

He ran a hand through his hair. 'Getting out of the car was more difficult than I thought it would be.'

When he vaguely remembered that they were at the Kaleido Stage for a reason, he checked the time on his phone and saw that he should be going. However, he found that he couldn't pull away and apparently Sora wasn't inclined to either. With neither one wanting to let go, he had simply pulled her out of the car from his door.

Though, he was still sucking on her neck and her hands were fisting his shirt.

It wasn't until a few co-workers in the parking lot started whistling that Sora embarrassedly pulled away.

Luckily, he had enough time to change into his practice gear.

Footsteps approached him. Leon stayed where he was. It wasn't until the steps stopped in front of him that he turned his head towards the person.

"Thanks for coming, Leon."

Leon gave a nod.

Yuri took the lead into the hallway. "I apologize if the request seemed sudden; however, I did try to reach you on your phone earlier." He paused in front of a door. "Kalos was kind enough to give me your number."

'The mystery caller,' Leon mentally noted.

"I do listen to voice mails," he neutrally informed the violet eyed man.

Yuri opened the door with an amused shake of his head. "I will do so next time."

The man's arm stretched out. "Shall we begin?"

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The redheaded star stiffly walked back to her dorm room with a red face.

"Of course people were there. It's a parking lot; cars need people to drive them."

Some of the new trainees that she helped out every once in a while happened to be there. Her hands pushed against her flamed cheeks. "How am I supposed to help them if I'm too flustered to look at them?!"

Maybe she could get May to step in for her until she settled down…

Her lips pursed. 'I'd probably have to tell her _why _I want her to sub.'

Sora wasn't sure if that was worse than just sucking it up and going in to help. Her eyes widened at her mental word choice.

'I think there's been enough sucking for one day.' She couldn't see how her face could feel any hotter.

The elevator dinged. She stepped into it. When she stepped out of the elevator, Mia and Anna were walking towards it.

"Hey, Sora!" Mia yelled out, "Is it true you and Leon were _necking_ in the parking lot?!"

A few girls turned around to see the commotion.

Sora slapped her palm against her forehead. 'Apparently, I _can _heat up some more.'

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	64. Chapter 64

AN: Shout out to everyone reading this story! You are awesome! :)

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There were very few scenes that had the character Zeus in it.

Obviously, he was there in the introduction, but he didn't really move around much. Later on, when Hades sees Persephone for the first time, Hades goes to ask Zeus for her hand.

This was the scene they were going to practice.

However, in order to make it visually interesting, the script labelled it as a "Set of Trials." The idea behind the scene is that Zeus wanted to see if Hades was worthy of his daughter.

Whatever Zeus threw at him, Hades must overcome.

Individually, Leon and Yuri practiced the scene. For Leon, he could not practice with the person because Zeus had been chosen much later on than the other roles. He simply fine-tuned his reflexes and other skills with Sora.

But, since Yuri was an accomplished acrobat and the role didn't have that many parts, Kalos figured that they could pull it off. The main thing for Kalos was that the person had the _presence_ of Zeus, Head of the gods.

'Apparently, he felt that Yuri can pull it off.'

Except for the Circus Festival and brief moments during the Swan Lake try-outs, Leon had not really _seen _Yuri perform.

He heard about it, especially around the Kaleido Stage. Though, he also heard that Yuri had taken over the ownership of this stage for a while—he had not heard the particulars behind that.

'In any case, this practice will show me what he's capable of.'

In order to be a partner for the Angel's Maneuver, one had to be quick, yet strong; watchful and able to ab-lib at the drop of a dime.

'Yuri must have most of those qualities, if not all.'

The swings were set out, the net secured beneath them.

It was time.

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Fortunately for Sora, Mia and Anna were off to a practice room.

Anna had been given the role of Hermes, the wing-footed messenger god. The role was the only one that Anna could fit some gags into the performance, especially since the god is known to be pretty laidback compared to the others.

She had an idea to run by Mia, so they had to go.

"We'll see you later, Sora." Mia let out a goofy grin. "But if we see you in the parking lot, we'll just let you be."

Sora quickly ran to her room in order to prevent any other embarrassing comments.

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Yuri balanced on the bar above Leon.

In the script, it said that there are tests based on strength, speed, and agility. There was a blank space in the script as if something was supposed to be there.

'But what?'

From what he gathered from Kalos, the space wasn't a typo.

The swings clanked as Leon worked on Yuri's challenge of speed. Strength had not been a problem for the Frenchman, speed didn't seem like it was a problem. He was sure Leon would ace agility as well.

'If I was Zeus,' Yuri thought, 'I would want to make sure that Persephone was given to someone of a strong character.' As the daughter of Zeus, she could only receive the best male around, regardless of their mortality status. The tests they had did a fairly decent job of determining that.

As for the heart and mind…

Yuri lightly swung on his bar. 'If I was a father, I would want to make sure that my daughter would be happy.'

It was an interesting idea, but Yuri wasn't positive how he could test for that. 'Perhaps that is why the fourth test was left blank.' He looked over at Leon as he finished the speed trial.

'A challenge of the heart…I will need to think about this.'

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	65. Chapter 65

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Friday night came rather quickly.

As usual, Leon picked her up in the early evening. Though, they began the night by watching the show of a local performing theater. Over the years, he learned that Sora loves to perform, but a close second to that is being an audience member.

The Kids' Stage was born from her recollections of being a younger audience member. It wasn't hard for him to forget that.

Within the first year he was at the Kaleido Stage, she had blatantly ignored him in favor for the kids. It was one of the rare occasions in which he lost his composure in front of people. He hadn't said or physically done anything strange, which is why he was quite certain she hadn't noticed, but he recalled feeling baffled.

Performers usually listened when he told them his "opinion," whether they were amateurs or veteran performers.

May listened to him; she focused on her own skills and ended up getting injured by him.

'I suppose,' he pondered as his eyes slid over from the show to Sora, 'it was Sora's fire that drew me to her.' Sora wouldn't back down; she faltered every so often, but she never followed his advice—only her own and Sophie's, in a way. She ended up coming to him in her own time.

He wondered if his pushing had only delayed her.

She laughed as the clowns finished their routine. Her head turned towards him to see if he saw. She tilted her head when he remained silent.

"Did you even see the act?"

He made a non-committal sound. She lightly rolled her eyes at him.

"Why'd you choose this show if you're not watching it?"

His hand along the back of her seat brushed her neck. "I am watching. I simply do not enjoy the clown acts in shows, is all."

Her dark eyes laughed at him. "Really now?" Her dark eyes laughed at him. She brought her face close to his. "I seem to recall you doing a comedic act after the Swan Lake performances."

"That show has been erased from my memories," he dryly stated.

Her smile grew to ridiculous proportions. "You did a pretty good job. Maybe Anna could help you expand those set of skills."

"No."

Her head fell onto his shoulder as she attempted to muffle the very loud laughter that came out. "L-Look at it this w-way," she shakily started out as she somewhat got her laughter under control, "now you can say you've done e-every type of role!"

She immediately ducked her head back against him. Her body shook as she grasped his dress shirt for stability. He could feel her laughter.

"While I am…glad…that my performance entertained you, you won't be seeing it again."

Her head lifted again. She giggled as she kissed his jaw.

"That's too bad."

His hand slid down her back. Her soft breath lightly brushed his neck. She kissed his jaw again. When his other hand tilted her chin up, she leaned up and pressed a kiss on his lips.

"You're missing the show," he murmured when she pulled back a bit.

She smiled at him and then pecked his lips.

He released her chin. She settled back down against his side.

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AN: So, I saw what I think is an OVA episode where Rosetta and Sora were the leads and Leon had a comedic act he was working on. I can't watch that scene again. It just seemed so wrong to have Leon doing something that Anna would do. -_-


	66. Chapter 66

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Yuri beeped his car unlocked.

With a sigh, he slid into the driver's seat. They were going to practice again tomorrow morning and he still didn't know what the last challenge should be.

His finger tapped the shifting gear as he thought.

'Maybe if there was a way to have him make a quick reaction or a decision that involved Persephone.'

It was something to consider.

He put the key into the ignition.

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Sora snuggled against Leon's side as they walked through the public gardens.

Her eyes took in the strings of lights around the bushes and the light canopy above them. She sighed in contentment as they walked over to one of the benches.

"This is nice," she lightly stated. When they sat down, she laid her head against him. "Have you been here before?"

"A few times in the daytime," he murmured. His hand around her waist pulled her closer. "I have something for you."

She angled her head towards his face. "Is that what's in the bag you've been carrying all night?"

He nipped her nose.

"Eep!" She tugged some strands of his hair.

He let out a half smirk. "If you continue with this behavior, you won't get it."

"Fine," she pouted, "But if you withhold it, I can't guarantee you'll get a goodnight kiss."

He pulled her onto his lap. Her dark green dress rode up to halfway up her thighs as she straddled him. Faint red tinted her cheeks when their eyes connected. He felt her hands settle on his chest. He saw her leaning in a little.

Leon spoke with a small grin. "I don't think that threat holds any weight."

She bumped their noses. "Jerk."

"I know you like me."

Her eyes bore into his. "So do you."

He was quiet. Then, he sighed and leaned his forehead against hers.

"It's more than that."

Her cheeks reddened. Her fingers fiddled with his dress shirt collar; her eyes watched the action as she considered something. He saw emotions shifting across her face. Finally, her fingers stopped. Shyly, she met his eyes.

"Me too," she whispered.

Her fingers curled around material as he placed a kiss on her cheek. When he kissed her other cheek, she slanted her head a little. Lips brushed and teased, but didn't fully connect.

The crunching of gravel made them aware of their location.

He wondered why people tended to find them in the middle of important matters.

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	67. Chapter 67

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She moved off of his lap. "Someone's coming."

He chuckled when he heard the disappointment in her voice. The arm around her waist stayed. "It doesn't mean we have to stop."

"You might not care if people watch us, but I do."

"Is this related to what happened in the parking lot?"

She didn't have to say a thing. Her flamed face and pursed lips told him all.

He laughed.

"I train a few of those people!" Her hands covered her cheeks. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to see them grinning at me and making kissing sounds whenever I step into a room?!"

He didn't have that problem on two accounts: one, he didn't train the new people and two; people wouldn't dare to do those things to him. Both reasons stemmed from the fact that he was intimidating. Granted, he didn't actively do things to cause that fear, but he didn't really make his demeanor seem more approachable. The loss was theirs if they couldn't work up the courage to come to him.

He quirked a brow. "Are you saying you want us to stop?"

She shook her head. He was relieved that she didn't want to. 'Even if she did ask, I don't think I could completely stop touching her.'

The hand around her waist rubbed her side.

"I just think we need to watch _where _we do these things." She couldn't believe she was discussing this with him; she could feel her face burning up. 'Who knew Leon doesn't care about PDA? I don't think I would have ever guessed that about him.'

A smirk was playing on his lips.

She blinked. 'On second thought, it isn't surprising. He always does as he pleases. Why would location matter to him?'

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	68. Chapter 68

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They moved to a new section of the gardens.

This time, a lit up water fountain was in the center of the sitting area. Sora had peeled herself away from him in order to take a closer look at it. Light blue shined from the bottom of the water. Leon was making his way over to her when she started.

"Oh! It changed!"

Pale red light was now shining from the bottom.

While she waited for the next color change, Leon took out the item from his bag.

"Sora."

She turned towards him to see a plastic container in his hand. "The mysterious gift," she stated with a smile. Her hands grasped it and opened the lid. Some sort of triangular pastry was sitting inside the box.

"You got me a slice of pie?"

Leon handed her a fork. "Not quite. It's called an Almond Pear _Clafouti._" His hand went into his pants pocket. "I owe you a dessert that's as big as your hand."

Her brown eyes blinked as she tasted a piece of the treat. 'That means he made this!' She chewed the dessert with relish.

"This is delicious!"

Her big grin made the effort worth it.

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Sora finished the dessert enthusiastically.

She offered a few bites to Leon, which he ate but he didn't take more than two. "It's your treat; I'll be generous and let you eat the majority of it."

By the slight uplifting of his eyes, she could tell he was thinking about the popsicle.

"_Now_ you decide to be polite."

She attempted to poke him with the fork. He, of course, dodged it. When she finished, Leon took the container and fork back.

As he did that, a sudden insight hit her. 'First the fluffy pancakes, then he helped me make the _tamagoyaki_, and now this treat…' She also recalled him checking out the ingredients of the dinner she made for him that one night.

"So Leon," his eyes looked up from closing his bag, "do you cook often?"

"Why do you ask?"

She suddenly felt shy. "No reason in particular, I just wanted to know."

Her fingers twirled a lock of hair. His eyes noticed a slight pink on her cheeks.

"…I started cooking when I was younger." He sat over on the wide rim of the fountain. "If you would label the mess I made as 'food.'" She smiled and went to sit by him. However, his hands brought her to stand between his legs.

She blushed a deeper color, but stayed where she was. She was getting used to him wanting her close to him when they were together, and he usually preferred her to be in front of him when they talked.

"Did you start it as a hobby?"

His hands thoughtfully ran along her sides.

He softly sighed. "It was more out of necessity." His forehead came to rest against her stomach. "Back when we were younger, Sophie and I didn't have the money to be eating out. Since I was older, I took up the task of feeding ourselves."

He heard and felt her take in a breath. Her hands touched his head.

"Leon, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about my question." Her fingers lightly gripped his hair. "I should have realized it might have been a sensi-Eep!"

She slightly jumped as he nipped her side. "W-What was that for?!"

His face turned up to regard her. "You don't need to apologize; you were not aware of the circumstances."

"You could have _told_ me to stop."

He lowered his voice. "I thought you like me biting you."

She couldn't decide if she was peeved at the response or if it made her even more attracted to him. All that came out of her mouth was a strange hybrid of a huff and a whimper.

By his lowering lids, she could see that he paid attention to the whimper. When he slowly moved to bite her again, her hands tugged his head back to face her.

He raised an eyebrow. She was sure her face was extremely red.

"Y-You didn't finish telling me about cooking."

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	69. Chapter 69

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Sora silently let out a breath of relief when he decided to continue his tale.

Though, his expression promised her that he wouldn't be deterred so easily. 'He's probably going to get me again when I'm completely relaxed and not expecting it.' Strangely enough, she was kind of looking forward to it.

She wondered if that was a normal thing for couples to do.

She inwardly shrugged. His tale was more important at the moment.

"Before we trained with Alen, we stayed with some relatives for a while." His forehead tilted back onto her belly. "My relatives were not the most accommodating of people."

She waited a little to see if he'd continue. When he didn't, she spoke up, "Was that when you got into cooking?"

His head shifted back to her. "My interest had been piqued, but nothing substantial. However, I did learn a few basic tips from the chef that would come and cook on the weekends." Her fingers ran through his hair. "They held luncheons with friends and clients, so the chef was hired for those days."

He lightly snorted as he recalled something. "They weren't wealthy, but maintaining a certain image was worth the expense. They only had one child so using money for that reason wasn't burdensome—at least, before we came to live with them."

Leon straightened up from leaning against her. She took a half step back to give him some space; however, his hands prevented her from moving. Her fingers stayed in his hair.

"When we started training with Alen, he gave us a place to stay. I quickly decided that his burnt up meals would not do for us."

She lightly shook her head at him. "You were a critic even as a kid?"

He softly scoffed. "I doubt you would have eaten what Alen made, regardless of your overly positive attitude."

"Hey!"

He let out a half smirk. "It's the truth." His mouth went back to neutral. "In any case, I made our own meals with what little money we made from our performances." His thumb tapped her side. "Later on, I suppose it simply stuck with me. I tend to find myself analyzing new foods to see what's used in the meal."

Sora tilted her head downwards to look at him. "Well, even if you didn't start out doing it for fun, I hope you take some enjoyment out of it now."

He stared at her for a bit before his hands moved to grasp hers.

"I do enjoy it, now that I think about it."

Her hands squeezed his.

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	70. Chapter 70

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Leon's car pulled up into the Kaleido Stage parking lot.

Sora unbuckled her seatbelt before she turned towards him.

"Thank you for sharing your cooking story with me." Her lips brushed his cheek.

He wordlessly nodded and got out to get her door. She kissed his other cheek for the gesture. They walked over to the dorms and he let her into the elevator.

While they were in there, she gave him a peck on the lips for the dessert. Then another for the play, another for letting her choose the restaurant, and one more for the garden trip. The last kiss continued until the elevator dinged.

The metal doors slid open; she pulled back from him rather quickly. She gave him a sheepish smile. He chuckled at her antics.

They walked to her room without running into anyone. It made her loosen up enough to entwine her hand with his.

Reluctantly, she withdrew her hand to get her keys out.

When she was in the process of unlocking her door, she suddenly turned around and pulled his head down for another kiss. His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly got over it. She walked backwards as he stepped forward. The keys jangled from the doorknob when Leon pressed her against the door.

She softly whimpered as he angled his head. Ever so faintly, she felt the tip of his tongue run along her bottom lip. She took a sharp breath in through her nose.

Leon pulled back.

"Good night," he murmured, his words ghosting over her lips.

"N-Night," she managed to stutter out before he completely turned back towards the elevator. Her fingers came up to her lips. 'He hadn't done that before.'

It was…different, but not unwelcomed.

She let out a laugh as she turned back to unlocking her door. 'And of course, he just leaves after doing something like that.'

Under her breath, she good-humoredly muttered, "What a prima donna."

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AN: And he did get his goodnight kiss! :P


	71. Chapter 71

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The gulls cried, the waves met the sand and a few colorful kites flew in the sky.

Leon idly watched the long red tails of a kite flutter by some sea gulls. His fingers thrummed the back of the bench as he waited.

A familiar voice called his name.

His head slightly turned. His eyes watched her come over. Her red hair was in a loose braid, her eyes were lit up, and there was a little skip in her step as she swung a bag in her hand. He rose a brow at her blue long sleeved shirt. It was getting colder since they were in the fall months, so he wasn't curious about that.

He just couldn't see how having a shirt that exposed one shoulder was supposed to keep the chill away. 'Doesn't that defeat the purpose of wearing a long sleeved top?' Though, he knew better than to point that out. He didn't forget the last time he had questioned her on matters dealing with clothing.

She chirruped a greeting, pecked his cheek and then plopped down on the bench.

"I brought some food. I figured we should eat something since we have the run-through practice in the early afternoon."

He let out a distracted response as she pulled out the boxes. Her braid laid against her other shoulder, leaving the uncovered shoulder exposed to his eyes. The thin maroon spaghetti strap was the only thing that sat on it, but it didn't ruin his view of her tanned skin and her slender neck.

He lifted a hand to touch her when a container was put into his hand.

"Here's the bento box I owe you from the alphabet soup challenge."

She smiled at him with an excited look. He blinked out of his distracted state.

Hands undid the lid. He stared at the rice, the omelet and the shaped meat creatures sitting around the egg. Fingers grabbed a meat item and lifted it up to eye level.

A smiley octopus with curled appendages looked back at him.

"Is this made out of a sausage?" he asked as he turned the "octopus."

"Yep! I found a picture online. You can do it out of hot dogs too, but I thought that sausages would be better. You said you eat them."

"I do," he amusedly responded. Her sausage question from days ago made sense now. He was starting to see that she wasn't as random as he thought she was. 'There is a plan when she asks me these things.' He will have to keep on his toes for any future questions he answers.

She handed him a fork. "Go ahead and dig in."

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	72. Chapter 72

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Sora took a bite out of her own meal as she discretely peeked at Leon.

She did notice that he was looking at her a lot more these past weeks. 'He did before, but now he's more touchy and not as concerned about personal space.' Even right now, he was ok with her sitting so close to him as they ate.

'Good progression.' Though, apparently May thought Sora needed to do more.

May had gotten her the blue long sleeved shirt last week when she went to the mall.

_"You need some flirty clothes," the Chinese acrobat had said, "things to keep him visually interested."_

_Sora had, of course, sputtered at her blunt friend. "What's wrong with what I have now?"_

_Her blue eyes narrowed as she took in the redhead's shorts, sneakers, and two inched strapped tank top. "It's not really date material."_

_"I've been going out with him for a while now. I'm ok with my own wardrobe," Sora bit out. Besides Leon, May really knew how to push her buttons without much effort._

_May exaggeratedly huffed. "I didn't say you need to change your entire closet! I'm just saying that it would be nice if you tried out some new styles he hasn't seen on you yet."_

_Sora pursed her lips. She sighed and reached a hand out for the shirt. May handed it over. As Sora held it up against her body, May gave a nod._

_"The blue looks good on you."_

_"Somebody stretched the collar out too much though."_

_May rolled her eyes at her. "It's supposed to be that way. It only hangs off of one shoulder." She crossed her arms. "That's the flirty part of the outfit." _

Sora hadn't work up the confidence to wear it. But for some reason, when she was rummaging through her closet today, she felt like trying it out.

She even braided her hair back.

She'd seen his eyes stray to her neck and face a few times already. 'I guess he likes it then, if he keeps looking.' Her hands closed the container and put it aside. Seeing that Leon was done with his, she took his and put it over with hers. They sat in silence as they beach gazed.

Soon, she felt his fingers lightly touch her shoulder. With a slight blush, she turned her head to look at him.

"Is this new?"

She shyly nodded. "Do you like it?"

He tilted his head. "The design is a bit peculiar," his warm palm rested on her bare skin, "but it is not displeasing."

She relaxed. "That's good then." With a grin, she stated, "It wouldn't do for me to displease your person, now would it?"

His palm traveled up her neck. "No, it wouldn't," he teased back.

Her eyes laughed at him. "It wouldn't do to displease me either." She sat up straighter as she informed him, "I've been told that I have quite the temper when angered."

"Who told you this?" his head leaned down to her, "Some figment of your imagination?"

"Someone _real_, I'll have you know!"

"Childhood temper tantrums do not count," he murmured as he nipped the corner of her mouth, "Nor do visits to the dentist or the doctor."

"Why don't dentists count? They're real."

He nipped a little more of her mouth. "Everyone has gotten upset with a dentist at least once in their lifetime."

She swallowed as he nipped her again. "I guess this means you'll be kissing me more often now."

His hand moved to cradle her cheek. "What makes you think that?"

Her red lashes fluttered quickly. "Well, since you've claimed your bet, now you—"

His chuckles interrupted her. Her eyes narrowed onto him.

"I have not claimed my kiss yet."

"W-What do you mean? Of course you have! You kissed me twice during breakfast at your place!"

"That," he began with a quirked brow, "was me reclaiming my stolen _tamagoyaki._"

"Y-You—Erg! Fine!" her finger poked his chest, "What about the time in your car?"

"You pulled my head down, remember?"

Her face heated up. She opened her mouth to state another time when he beat her to it. "As for the kisses on Friday night, you initiated all of them. However," his eyes steadily held onto hers, "I was sorely tempted to at numerous times."

That said, he leaned down again to nip her bottom lip.

"What about now?" she softly asked as he nipped along her mouth.

"I'm biting you," he murmured, "There's a difference."

Her hands moved to his chest as he progressed to her jawline. Before she reached his hair, she stiffened.

"Wait, Leon we can't—"

"The children with the kites moved further down the beach some time ago, no co-workers are out presently, and this bench is not along the route of joggers."

She found that she could only laugh at the situation. "You had this planned out, you cocky jerk!"

He smirked against her neck.

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AN: In an earlier chapter, I used "PDA." For those who don't know, it stands for Public Displays of Affection. Just thought I'd clarify that.


	73. Chapter 73

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A red sports car zoomed through the streets.

Yuri smoothly pulled into the parking lot and took off his shades. Despite the colder weather, the sun still shone pretty strongly most days.

The car beeped and he headed towards the dorms.

Along the way, Mia spotted him. "Oh Yuri! Welcome back to the stage!"

"Hello, Mia. How are script writing and directing going? You seem to have things in order, judging by the fact that the place is still in business."

Mia lightly laughed. "Cathy has given me some great pointers. She gave me her number so I could run ideas by her from time to time."

Yuri smiled. Casually, he slipped his hands into his pockets. "I don't mean to be rude, but I must be going. Do you know if Sora is in her dorm room right now?"

The young writer blinked at the question.

"No, she's not." After a slight pause, Mia added, "I think I saw her walk over towards the beach earlier. She's probably still out there, what with practice not starting yet."

Yuri thanked her and walked towards the beach.

Mia let loose a goofy grin.

The drama lover part of her was curious what Yuri wanted with her friend.

She headed back to her dorm room whistling a tune.

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Sora wasn't sure how long they have been here, nor did she really care, quite frankly.

The ocean breeze was a little chilly, but Leon was warm so he helped with that problem. 'He's quite the helper,' she dazedly thought as his hands ran along her back.

She adjusted herself on his lap. Her eyes slowly closed as they continued to kiss.

He had initially been giving her love bites along the neck and shoulder. She had no complaints about it, however, she just felt this urge to participant and reciprocate. So, when he made his way up her neck again, she angled her head down and captured his mouth with hers. Her action caught him by surprise, judging by the slight widening of his grey eyes. In return, he had swiftly wrapped his arms around her, which prompted her to move onto his lap for a more comfortable position.

Her hand glided along his neck. She paused as she felt something beneath her hand. Unknowingly, she had paused in kissing him as well.

Curious grey watched as her eyes stared at his throat. "What's the matter?"

She heard his question, but she let it go unanswered at the moment. Her lips parted as she realized that she was feeling his pulse beating fast. The sudden thought she had was ludicrous, but it made her marvel.

'Am I causing this?'

For the longest time in her mind, he was a figure with an unflappable demeanor. Very little fazed him and the idea that his heart would beat beyond normal levels would have been unthinkable.

At least, she would have thought so in the past.

Before they were partners…Before they started seeing each other.

The realization made him more tangible to her.

Leon's brows furrowed when she remained silent. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth quirked up.

"I can feel your pulse."

Confusion flitted through his eyes before he slightly shook his head at her. "People tend to have a pulse."

She pecked his lips. "Exactly."

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	74. Chapter 74

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Yuri wasn't quite sure what he was looking at.

Certainly, his eyes took in the sight of the redheaded star sitting on the lap of the unmistakable form of the French acrobat—who else had such long silver hair?—but that was not the issue.

What he had trouble comprehending was the surreal scene he stumbled upon.

Sora's head leaned down a few times to brush her lips against Leon's. The action itself was not shocking for the redhead was of an affectionate nature. However, when Yuri saw Leon's thumb rubbing her cheek and Sora leaning into the gesture, his mind couldn't fully process what he was seeing.

'Have I somehow walked into a bizarre, parallel universe?' his mind wirily thought.

He never took the artic Frenchman as one to give affection.

He snapped out of his musings when Sora stuttered out his name.

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After a while, Sora felt that he was sort of understanding what she was trying to say.

His hand came up to her neck. He "hmmed" as he felt her own pulse. She lightly laughed as he mimicked what she had done.

Something warm came into his eyes then. It moved her to softly kiss him again.

She felt his hand move to her face; she watched a small smile come onto his face as she rubbed her cheek against his palm. She liked this wordless exchange between them.

Her fingers gently gripped the back of his head. His eyelids dropped to half-mast as she neared his face for another kiss.

But it never came.

Her fingers tightened their grip. He came back into total awareness when her head shot up.

"Y-Yuri!"

Her eyes were wide as she spotted the former acrobat standing a few feet away from them. 'How long has he been there?!' Quickly, she tried to move off of Leon's lap, but the man would not release his hold on her.

Cheeks bright red, she wordlessly glared at him to let go.

He simply turned his head towards Yuri.

Leon's movement prompted Yuri to speak. "Ah, I apologize; I did not mean to intrude. I simply wished to speak to Sora about something."

Yuri's eyes slid over the pair. "But it can wait. I shall contact you when you are more available, Sora."

"Oh! Yes, if you don't mind."

Yuri said his goodbyes. Sora chimed in with her own farewells.

When Yuri was out of earshot, Sora ducked her red face against Leon's neck. "How embarrassing! We haven't seen him since the Swan Lake performances and then he finally shows up, years later and I ended up greeting him from your lap!"

Her hand smacked his arm. "Why didn't you let me up?! Arg!"

A silver brow ticked involuntarily. "He was disturbing us. We were not required to scramble around in order to make him feel more comfortable."

Her head came up in order to scrutinize his face.

"Do you still not get along with Yuri? You were pretty quiet when the Boss first told us he was coming."

"I'm always quiet during meetings."

"Yeah, but you were extra quiet for that meeting." When he gave her a disbelieving look, she quipped, "There was a difference. I could tell."

He let out a breath, but otherwise remained silent.

Her fingers moved from the back of his head to fiddle with the silver strands along his temple.

"It's ok if you don't," she softly murmured, "these kinds of things take time, especially when there's a lot of…history…to overcome."

His eyes watched her before they darted away. "I wasn't aware I needed permission."

She shrugged. "You don't, but I thought you would like to know that I can see where you're coming from."

With a sigh, she pulled back. His arms loosened and allowed her to stand. She gathered the containers and put them back into her bag.

"We should head over to the practice area."

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	75. Chapter 75

AN: Thanks for the reviews, SXL fans! :D Happy New Year, if I haven't mentioned that in this story.

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Sora pulled her practice top on and then slipped her shoes on.

She told Leon she'd meet him over at the stage for the run-through since she had to change and put away the empty bento boxes. But really, she wanted to give him some space. She may be learning more and more about him, however, there were some issues she didn't know if she could help him with.

At least, not right away. 'We all have those, I guess.'

Back when her aunt was pregnant with Yume, she was afraid she'd somehow be kicked out of the family and replaced with their actual child, not their orphan niece they took in.

It ate away at her for quite a while until she finally broke down at the hospital.

Sure, her friends could tell her reassuring things and say that everything would be alright, but at the time, she had assumed that until it occurred, she wouldn't know what would happen.

What she did need, on the other hand, was support. And she received it when she finally talked about her fear. She needed to know that there would be people around her that would help her through it, if it turned out for the worse.

Looking back, she felt kind of foolish for doubting her uncle and aunt's feelings towards her. However, the knowledge that her friends were there to listen to her worries made her feel better.

That's what she wanted to do for Leon.

She was well aware that he was not the type to immediately open up if he was ruminating over an issue, but she wanted to make sure she'd be there when he was ready.

Her hands paused over the doorknob.

'There's a good chance that he _won't_ speak up, ready or not.' She bit her lip as she thought. 'All those things I found out about him and Sophie I mainly found out through his old instructor.'

Granted, Leon willingly shared a piece here and there, but only after she and the others spoke with Alen. She recalled Leon saying that he handled Sophie's battles without her knowing, though Sora had a feeling that Sophie wasn't oblivious about it.

Why else would Sophie dream of a stage without competition?

She had to have noticed _something_.

Sora puffed out some air. Of course she happened to be dating a guy who was sparse in sharing and she always wanted to know things. 'While he has shared some stories with me, they have all occurred years ago_._ Would he be willing to share a more current problem?' Her eyes blinked as that created another question.

'How "current" would that mean for Leon?'

If he was still rather quiet about his issue with Yuri, that would mean the three years after Sophie's death plus a few months short of three years at the Kaleido Stage, making a grand total of almost six years ago.

Her forehead clunked onto the door.

"You're being difficult even when you're not here!"

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	76. Chapter 76

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Yuri was finishing a discussion with Mia when Sora walked in.

Seeing that Leon wasn't with her, he assumed she was free to talk. He bid Mia a good bye and walked over to Sora.

"Sora, may we have that talk now?"

The redhead started out of her thoughts. "Uh sure. Why not."

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Anna looked around the stage and spotted Mia and Marion standing side by side with their heads close together. She recognized that stance anywhere.

"Alright. Who are you two spying on now?"

Marion turned towards Anna. "We're not spying. We're merely observing."

When Anna heard her friends giggling, she knew something was up. Being the tallest female of the Kaleido Stage—right after Layla Hamilton—she easily looked over their heads.

"You're spying on Sora and Yuri? What for?"

Both girls quickly shushed their friend when she said her question a little too loudly. A few heads looked over in their direction.

Anna gave a sheepish look. "Sorry."

When the heads turned away, Mia addressed her question.

"Don't you want to know what they're talking about?"

Anna shrugged. "Not really. They're just talking."

Marion crossed her arms with a huff. "You have no imagination whatsoever!" Her hands clasped together. "He's standing awfully close to her. Maybe he likes her still."

"What do you mean _still_?"

Mia ignored Anna's incredulous tone and continued with Marion's statement. "There were times when he helped her out, back when he performed here. Do you think that's what it was?"

Marion eagerly nodded her head. "What else could it have been?"

A wide grin appeared on Mia's face. "You know, Yuri was over by the dorms this morning looking for her."

"Maybe he wanted to ask her on a date."

Seeing her friends starry eyed, Anna let out a sound of exasperation. "What makes you think he was there to see Sora? You guys shouldn't be making things up. That's how nasty rumors are spread."

Indignant, Mia half yelled, "I didn't make it up! Yuri _asked_ me if I had seen Sora!"

It was Anna's turn to shush her friend when she saw the curious gazes of the people around them.

"Not so loud!" A few seconds went by and Anna could see that Mia had more to say. A bit curious herself, Anna asked, "So what did you say?"

Mia's face looked triumphant. 'I will make you a drama lover yet!'

"Well, luckily for Yuri, I _did_ know where she was this morning. She was on the beach." With a finger, she beckoned her friends closer. "But I failed to mention that a few minutes earlier I had seen Leon walking in the same direction Sora went."

Marion's eyes were wide. "So that means—"

"You let Yuri walk into Sora and Leon's meet up?!"

Mia's grin was positively diabolical. "Well, he had asked _so_ politely, I really had no choice in the matter. It would just be plain _rude_ not to answer the man."

Anna's mouth opened and then closed. She stared at her deceptively sweet friend and _really _let her information sink in.

"You're more evil than May."

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	77. Chapter 77

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Leon walked down the hall to the main stage.

He had decided to stretch out in one of the smaller practice rooms rather than in front of everyone else. It was a little annoying to feel people's eyes on him when he was doing something as simple as warming up. He could easily block them out, but today, he wanted some privacy.

Even Sora had felt that vibe coming from him.

He had no problem accompanying her to go drop off her stuff, but she had already suggested that they just meet up here instead. He ran a hand through some of his hair. 'It wasn't her presence I wanted gone.'

Privacy he may have wanted, but it didn't apply to Sora.

What's done is done, he supposed.

He silently walked past the open doorway to the floor around the stage. A few performers stopped talking when he entered while others blatantly looked at him.

He ignored it. It was nothing new.

As he strode by, he couldn't help but catch some snippets of the other performers' conversations.

"…another guy? She already has a boyfriend, so why would he be after her? It's…"

"He came out of her place this morning! Isn't that just…"

"…remember? Yuri was totally hitting on her that one time!"

"…used to have a crush on Yuri or something? I guess she likes dating the male leads."

That last comment made his step falter for half a second. No one noticed for he smoothly continued, though, at a slightly faster pace. Languidly, his eyes looked for a certain redhead.

He found her talking with Yuri over by the wall.

Yuri's back was to him, so Sora saw when Leon came into her sights. She leaned her head to the side in order to smile in his direction. Leon amusedly shook his head at her antics. Soon, he saw her giving Yuri a little wave and walk towards him.

He looked at the expression on her face and inwardly scoffed at what he had thought he had heard. 'Ridiculous gossip.'

She rested a hand on his shoulder to give his cheek a quick peck. "Hey stranger. What took you so long? Even I made it here before you did." When he didn't answer, her smile waned a little but then went back up. "Did you want some space? I've been in your personal area a lot lately, huh?" Her hand fell away from his shoulder. "Sorry about that."

She took a step back. He frowned. Seeing it made her feel a little despondent, but she moved to take another step back.

One of his hands tugged her shirt forward before she went further. Her body collided with his.

"Oomph!" A blush bloomed when his arm went around her waist.

"Stay," he murmured.

"You're going to rip my shirt one of these days with all your tugging and pulling."

A roguish smirk appeared on his face. "Is that an invitation?"

Her cheeks heated up as she felt his hand teasing the bottom hem of her top. His fingers grazed skin every so often. 'I kind of set myself up for that one.'

"N-No."

"Are you sure? You took a while to respond."

"I'm pretty sure!"

His eyes were laughing at her.

Her fingers picked at some silver strands of hair. "Are you sure you don't want some space?" Her eyes looked over his face. "I'm not being overbearing or am too far into your personal bubble?"

He raised a brow at the bubble comment. "Sora, do you not know the meaning of the word 'stay'?" He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I suppose this means I have to train you."

Her hand gave his hair a quick pull. "Hardy har har."

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	78. Chapter 78

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The same hand smoothed the tugged hair over.

Sora was sure she wasn't going to hear the end of this from her co-workers, but she decided that if teasing was inevitably going to happen, she might as well enjoy their time right now.

Leon peered down at her and was slightly surprised that she hadn't tried to get out of his hold, what with their co-workers nearby. In fact, she did the opposite. He felt her body relax against him. Her hands slid around his neck and then looked up at him expectantly. He chuckled under his breath. The arm around her waist tightened more securely around her which caused her to be lifted up a little more.

Her feet slightly dangled in the air as he walked them over to some seats.

"Has my presence made you lose the use of your legs?"

Her fingers pinched his neck. "No, you conceited prima donna. I'm _letting_ you carry me."

They were close to the seats, but seeing the divider between the stage and the audience members made him alter his course.

"Prima donna?" His hands swiftly deposited her to sit on the top of the divider, but he kept himself close to her. "I assure you, I am not a female."

The divider allowed them to be at eye level. Sora felt the power beneath her hands as they rested on his broad shoulders. His eyes connected with hers when he lowly intoned those words and stayed connected as her fingers gripped him. Warmth and muscle was what she found.

She definitely didn't doubt his statement.

"Then, you're a male prima donna."

His hands slid down her legs. "Primo uomo."

"What?" The feeling of his hands distracted her.

"That is the correct term for the male version of the prima donna."

"How do you know this stuff? Do you watch the History channel or something?"

He raised a brow. "I've been to an opera before."

She blinked at him. She never really thought about what he's done in his spare time. At least, what he does when they weren't on a date or in the practice room. Her head tilted curiously. She wondered what he liked to do when he was still in Europe.

"So do you like watching operas?"

He gave a shrug. "It depends on the cast and the story."

She idly nodded her head. "What about the outdoors? Do you like hiking and stuff?"

"It depends on the place and the activity."

She lightly swung her feet. They bounced against the wall as she thought about what he said. 'I guess he doesn't have certain categories that he doesn't like.' Though, she was sure there had to be specific things he liked more over others. Her feet paused in their motion.

"You know what you like once you've tried it." She gave him a grin. "Are you secretly an adventurer, Leon? Do you like to try out new and exciting things?"

His hands rested on either side of her as he leaned in. Lids lowered, he slowly perused her form. His eyes stopped once they found hers.

He gave her a half smirk. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

Her face flushed, but she refused to let him have the last word. Her hands loosely hung off of his shoulders. Quickly, she nipped his bottom lip. "Maybe," she murmured. "But the jury's still out." With an exaggerated sigh, her hands went up into his hair. "I wish there was something that could help me decide."

Grey eyes stared. Slowly, his hands brushed along her sides. "I can think of something," he lowly intoned. He spoke to her incredibly close, their lips shy a few centimeters. "Something you've been waiting for. Craving, I would even say."

She kept still, afraid of doing something that would stop him. Her heart was going so fast, so loudly, yet she enjoyed the anticipation. When her lips tingled from his light brush, her eyes automatically closed.

"Hey love birds! I'd like to get this practice done sometime today!"

May's yelling jarred Sora out of the daze Leon had put her under. Red faced, her head ducked onto his shoulder.

'So much for enjoying the moment.'

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	79. Chapter 79

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Sora moved a little stiffly in the beginning of the run-through.

She'd catch some performers making gushy faces at her. Her eyes attempted to stay focused on the bars instead of looking at their faces. A flash of silver from the corner of her eye made her head turn.

Starting for the lower levels of the pseudo set, Leon jumped and twisted from the tiered trampolines to the swings up above. He crouched from his perch to stare at her.

His intent face made some pink appear on her cheeks.

Though, his presence gave her energy. 'If he's going to watch me, I better show him something that will keep his attention.' The corner of her lips quirked up.

Lithely, she twirled to another bar.

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Mia avidly watched as Leon gave chase to Sora's playful performance.

It was sweet and light, bringing out a smile on her face. Slowly, but surely, it transitioned into something heavier. When Sora passed by Leon, there was a certain feeling coming from Leon's performance that made Mia scoot to the edge of her seat.

As they continued, each near catch made the anticipation build to higher and higher levels.

Mia gasped. Leon was about to grab Sora. The young writer's hands gripped her clipboard. To her shock, Leon didn't grab her. 'He must have another plan.'

Her eyes widened as a hand came up and stroked her friend's face.

It was a fleeting gesture for Sora was already flying through the air to another bar. Their chase continued, but Sora wasn't going so far away anymore. They no longer used the swings in the outer area. Only four swings were used.

Then, only three. Mia mentally willed Hades and Persephone to just come to each other.

By two, she was screaming in her head.

One. Mia felt a release of euphoria at the sight of Persephone allowing herself to be captured. Her hand ran through some of Hades' silver hair. Her head tilted in fascination as the strands slowly fell from her fingers.

Hades' face was a mix of mystery and satisfaction.

Then, Hades let go of the bar. They fell down onto the net.

"That seemed very natural."

Mia started as Yuri's voice sounded from behind her. "Y-Yeah. I really don't have any critiques about it." Picking up her pen, she scribbled something down on her clipboard.

Yuri walked forward to stand next to Mia. "Were they supposed to fall?"

Mia's hand paused. "Yes. In the myth, Hades opens up the earth and carries Persephone down into the Underworld." Her pen tapped the paper. "Though, he's in a chariot and there's no real interaction between the two before he swoops up Persephone and they go down to his domain."

The blonde slowly nodded as he saw Leon jumping off of the net. Sora was near the edge of it; Leon was nearby, waiting. With a grin, she launched herself at him. He smoothly caught her. As Leon was placing her down, Yuri spotted a brief flash of amusement that had shown on the Frenchman's face before it went back to neutral.

"It's a good change."

Still writing, she idly nodded her head. "I wanted it create more of a connection between them." Her head came up. "That was great! Though, in the actual piece, you guys will be falling through a trapdoor or some fog. Er, Leon," The silver head turned to Mia.

The young woman nervously clicked her pen.

She couldn't see how Sora could be so relaxed around him. His gaze still unnerved her.

"I-er- would like you to make a gesture or something towards the ground that way it looks like you're opening it up for you two to fall down into." Her thumb stopped clicking the pen. "Actually, it would be easier if we gave you something to throw. I'll get someone from the prop department to bring you some weapons that would be easy for you to perform with." She quickly scribbled something down. A runner took her finished note. "Let me know what you choose so I can note it down under your wardrobe and props list."

Leon nodded. Mia's shoulders relaxed when he looked away. People made sure not to be in Leon's way as he walked over to the water bottles. Sora chatted by his side.

Yuri chuckled. "I see that he still intimidates people."

"Tell me about it," Mia muttered under breath. She really didn't know how to give the man instructions without feeling like he was scrutinizing every statement she said to him.

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AN: Poor Mia. I can't imagine having to give corrections to Leon. .


	80. Chapter 80

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A few days later, the Kaleido star duo went out for dinner again, this time in the middle of the week rather than waiting for the end of the week.

Leon twirled her red hair between his fingers.

Sora sat close in their cushioned booth as she looked over the menu. She felt him shift as he angled his head to look with her. Her head tilted up to address him.

"See anything you like?"

His eyes slid over to her. "Perhaps." His fingers released her hair in order to lightly tap her hanging earring.

Her cheeks tinted. "I meant on the menu."

"Hm." His nose nudged the side of her face. "So did I."

Her hand smacked his shoulder. "The waiter's coming. You better have something chosen because I, for one, am hungry and don't want to wait another five to ten minutes for our waiter to return."

She eeped when he nipped her cheek. "Behave!"

He gave her a smirk. "Will I get a treat if I do?"

She used the menu to cover her red face. Even when the waiter greeted them, she refused to remove it.

Leon smoothly ordered. "I'll have the Braised Filet Mignon Ravioli."

"…The Crispy Calamari please," came the voice from under the menu.

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Their Banana Cream Tartlet came as Sora began to talk.

"Have you noticed something different about the Boss?" She paused to scoop up some of the dessert. "Sarah's been pretty chipper too, now that I think about it."

Just yesterday morning, the woman had been laughing merrily down the dorm hallways as she came back to her room.

Leon quirked a brow. Kalos was Kalos and Sarah…

Quite frankly, the diva's never been a concern of his. By the way Sora mentioned them one after the other, he took it that there was something between them.

He hadn't known that. He took a bite into the dessert.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

Sora tapped her spoon against her mouth. "I wonder…"

Her eyes lit up suddenly. 'Maybe the Boss proposed! That would be something big that would make Sarah even more energetic, wouldn't it!'

Leon lightly shook his head as a goofy grin appeared on Sora's face.

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An: Borrowed the menu from Blue Point Coastal Cuisine. Google's so helpful. :P


	81. Chapter 81

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While Leon hadn't noticed Kalos' behavior, he has noticed the increased talk around the stage.

Yuri's appearance seemed to have been the cause of it. Leon's eyes looked at Sora as he walked her back to her room. From what he gathered, there were some insinuations made that the redhead had feelings for Yuri when he was still performing at Kaleido Stage.

Other talk suggested that it has reignited.

Leon was pretty sure that the latter was untrue—at least, from Sora's end.

For some reason, it was the first topic that rubbed him the wrong way, which he thought was absurd, seeing as it was in the past if it was even true to begin with.

Was it because he didn't know or was it because if true, he wasn't sure how their relationship went?

Sora stopped in front of her door. Leon unwound his arm from her.

Did they go on food dates like they were doing? Did she lean into his embrace like she did for him?

He lightly frowned as similar thoughts invaded his mind.

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Sora had seen that Leon became pensive after their dessert.

When she came up to kiss him, she noticed his face was showing something. She paused as his eyes swirled with unknown emotions.

Her hand rested along his cheek. "Leon? Are you ok?"

He blinked and the storm was concealed. She waited for him to respond.

After a while, he gave a nod. She had a feeling he wasn't being completely honest. She inwardly sighed. 'You already had this conversation with yourself; he's not very chatty about current problems he's going through.'

All she figured she could do was just be there for him.

She gave him a slow, soft kiss. "I'm here," she murmured, "Don't forget that."

His eyes scanned her face. A hand came up and brushed the side of her face with his knuckles. When she kissed him again, she felt his mouth slowly moving against hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck. He let out a slow exhale through his nose as her nails lightly scratched the nape of his neck.

When his arm came around her in a half embrace, she felt like they were ok for the time being.

'Baby steps,' she thought. 'No need to rush.'

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	82. Chapter 82

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Practice that morning felt a little off, but it wasn't too alarming for Sora.

But it did make her keep an eye on Leon.

She launched off of the bar, did a simple backflip, and then Leon grabbed her hands. Her eyes discretely looked up to see his face.

Grey eyes connected with hers.

When she did not say anything, but quickly averted her gaze, a silver brow rose.

"That's the third time you've done that," he mused aloud as his arms bent and brought her to eye level. She lightly blushed at being caught. His brow rose even higher.

"S-Sorry," she mumbled.

He observed her silently. With a sigh, he swung her to the upcoming bar.

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The topic of Yuri and her was still in his mind. He still didn't know if they _had_ dated, which made him irritated at himself for even thinking about it, but sometimes it was hard for him not to wonder about it.

He'd see the way people responded positively to Yuri's presence. Then, he'd see how well Sora got along with her fellow performers.

Both had a talent for socializing.

Though, in Yuri's case, it just frustrated him how people seemed to like him so readily. Leon was aware that the blonde was not the same as the man that had a part in his sister's death so there was nothing else he had to be angry about.

…Logically, that is.

Emotionally, there was more than enough to hold onto, but did he want to continue? It's been almost six years and those first three years he allowed that anger to quietly fester and infect him from the inside.

It destroyed the young man he used to be, as well as those around him.

A long breath escaped him. His spirit felt tired about hanging onto that anger. It didn't mean that he'd forget his sister—he didn't think it would be possible to do that—but he didn't want that anger to define him anymore.

After all, it's what led him to gain the title of "The God of Death."

He wasn't sure he would ever be rid of that label. He had done too much damage for anyone to forget, including himself. The remarks of the people from the Circus Festival were proof of his assumption.

'A permanent mark, unchangeable.'

The clinking of the swings brought his attention back. His eyes followed the movement of her red hair. It has gotten longer over the years that he has been here. When he first came, it was a little past her neck. Now, it was about mid-back, though, it was layered a bit so it wasn't all one length.

She swung towards him. He admired how those red locks flared out. His eyes blinked. 'She's higher than last time.'

He let out a grunt when her arms wrapped around his torso and squeezed.

"Now you can say you've had a hug while being upside down!" she playfully told him.

She felt him exhale. "Just what I wanted."

She couldn't see his face, but his deadpanned voice made her laugh. The feeling of her shirt being moved made her stop.

"W-What are you doing?!"

His fingers stroked her side. "You've left yourself in a precarious position."

Her body stiffened as his breath touched her skin. Then, she shrieked when she felt his teeth.

"Y-You bit m—ahh!" She wiggled in his hold when he did it again. "S-Stop! Haha! You-you probably have rabies or something!"

He let out a small smile and then bit her again.

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AN: Just to warn you, I've been having some trouble posting chapters for this. For a while, I would get an error page when I tried managing this story. It fluctuates, so I will post when I can until this is fixed.

Oh and, I can see the reviews. It doesn't mess with that. :)


	83. Chapter 83

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Lunch had been simple, but she felt like they could use a little "simple."

Sora was glad that he was calm again, especially after his nipping attack. 'I'm not his chew toy,' she thought with a roll of her eyes. Though, she had known he'd get her when she was least expecting it.

They sat in the car as he turned off the engine.

Her fingers twirled some of his hair that had been lying near her.

She hadn't thought she'd be interested in a guy with long hair, yet here she was, touching long silver hair and thinking about how she wanted to lean over and kiss him.

She bit her bottom lip.

Leon unbuckled his seatbelt and had moved his hand to the door handle when a light tug of his hair brought his attention over to her. She was angled towards him with brown eyes staring at him. Her other hand came up to cup his face.

Wordlessly, she leaned up and gave him a short kiss.

His hand went on her hip. She kissed him again.

His hand circled around her waist. She squeaked a little as her knee fell into the dip between the two front seats with the emergency break.

Embarrassedly, she leaned on him in order to steady her as she tried to find a more comfortable place for her knee. His chuckles rumbled through her. His hands quickly pulled her over to his seat. She sat on his lap and then fell against him when he suddenly adjusted the back of his seat to an angle.

She puffed at the hair that had been thrown into her face. "A little warning would be nice."

He gave her a half smirk. "Are you not comfortable?"

"I didn't say that," she muttered with some pink on her cheeks. "I just would like a warning before you do things."

"Hm. A reasonable request, I suppose."

She wasn't sure if she should be wary of that statement and the strangely toneless quality it had. 'He agreed to that far too easily and readily.' Her eyes narrowed on him for only a few seconds when his mouth went to her ear.

She stilled.

"I'm about to touch your face." His free hand brushed her cheek.

"Then, I will go down along your jaw" his fingers trailed down, "to your chin." His fingers lingered there before he added as an afterthought, "And down your underjaw and along your slender neck."

She shivered as he did what he said.

"Next, I will repeat what I have just done," she could practically hear the smirk in his voice, "except, not with my hand."

Before she could ask, "Then with what?" she felt his lips along her cheek. When he went along her jaw, he leisurely nipped her as he went. The same occurred with her underjaw and neck except for the quick open mouthed kiss along her pulse.

Her nerves were going haywire.

He finished and moved to her ear again.

Or was about to.

Her hands clutched his face and kept him against the seat.

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	84. Chapter 84

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"I'll tell you what's going to happen," she stated with some warmth and a bit of fire in her eyes.

"You're going to sit there, probably put your hands on my waist, then switch to my back and neck until your restless hands go and make a mess of my hair, all the while I'm kissing you senseless, probably nipping when I feel like it and _my hands _make a mess of _your hair_."

She leaned her forehead against his. "Somewhere in the midst of this, you're probably going to change the kiss into something you did that one night." Her face was rosy, but she continued in a lower tone, "And I won't stop you."

She swallowed a little as his eyes were intense.

"I have wanted to try it myself," she softly confessed.

His hands went to her waist. "Why not now?"

Her eyes darted to his mouth and then back up to his eyes. They almost immediately lowered away at the heat in his eyes. Her fingers went down to touch the skin below his bottom lip.

She felt a little shy about the idea.

"W-Will you let me? Without you doing it too?" Her eyes looked at his hair along the cushion and started to nervously pick at it. "I've not kissed like that before."

Her face was probably the color of her hair. She waited to hear a chuckle or some remark about how silly she was being.

Neither occurred.

He was steadily looking at her, but there was no smirk or grin on his face. He was just lying there, the picture of calm and relaxed stillness. Even the heat in his eyes had toned down a few notches—at least it seemed that way with his lids half covering his eyes.

Her fingers stopped picking at his hair.

His hands soothingly rubbed her sides. Gradually, her body relaxed against him. A lot less nervous—but it was still there—her hands went back to his face. She softly brushed his lips. Then she did it again, figuring it would be better to start like this, doing something she was familiar with.

The next brush, she slightly parted her lips.

Her eyes quickly darted to see if his face reacted negatively.

His eyes looked back with a flash of something in them. That, plus his continued stroking of her sides made her take it as a good sign.

Her eyes half closed as she did it again.

When his hand traveled up her back, she pressed her mouth more onto his.

When she felt his fingers grazing her neck, she slanted her mouth a little. She softly mewled as his breath suddenly escaped him.

By the time his hand grasped the back of her head, her reservations had ebbed significantly.

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	85. Chapter 85

AN: I won't jinx it by saying anything about the ability to upload so far. : P

Enjoy!

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A blonde man with violet eyes walked over to the parking lot.

'"Check the parking lot"…what kind of a suggestion was that?' he shook his head.

All he knew was that the script writer and director of the Kaleido Stage happened to be correct last time. Mia had even told him what Leon's car looked like, license plate and all.

"She's a strange one."

Though, he was sure Mia wasn't the only one. The performing arts tended to draw people with all sorts of quirks.

He chuckled a bit. 'I'm sure I have my share of strange quirks as well.'

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Kissing him like this was strangely addicting.

Though, it stemmed more from the fact that she hadn't heard or seen him act like this before. Sure, sometimes he let out a little groan, but not often. He might breathe in and out through his nose kind of suddenly—that was heard more—like she caught him off guard or something.

His hands were fisting her hair.

Her lips only brushed his upper lip. Then, with the tip of her tongue, she gave it a slow lick.

Some sound rumbled out of his throat. She couldn't understand what it was he said, but she liked the reaction he just did.

'Strangely addicting.'

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Leon had to hand it to her; when she said she'd kiss him senseless, she meant it.

Though, it was more of the fact that he couldn't reciprocate.

It was driving him insane. But she had asked him not to while she gave it a try. He could see that she was curious, but so nervous. He didn't want her to be intimidated by him. Anyone else but her. He didn't think he could stand it if she was afraid of him.

So he calmed himself down. Then, calmed her down for she had gotten tense.

It had been sweet when she looked at his face after her first try. She really was the only sweet he could tolerate. The second try, still sweet, but with a little more confidence.

The next, he was hard pressed to label it as sweet.

The ones after…They were not sweet; they were sensation and allurement—temptation in a kiss.

If Persephone was like Sora, he could see why Hades would want her, even though she was the light in the sky, the very leaves dancing in the wind. He, on the other hand, ruled from the deepest, darkest confines of the Underworld.

She was completely different from him in manner and in temperament.

'Maybe that's what he needed,' Leon idly thought as she ran a hand through his hair, 'He was tired of the darkness and craved for the light.'

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	86. Chapter 86

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Sora pulled away from his mouth and kissed his face.

"You can kiss me back," she softly murmured. Her mouth went back to kiss him on the lips. "I think I'm comfortable with it," she stated with a light blush.

One of his hands moved to her face. She kissed him again.

His thumb rubbed circles on the side of her face. She felt him kissing her back. With a soft sigh, she parted her lips and a visible shiver traveled along her body as his lips parted as well.

She whimpered when he brushed against her.

It was her turn to fist his hair as he rose up from the back of the seat to press against her. Her hands pulled him close. She couldn't withhold the soft moan that had been building within her throat.

A tapping sound on glass jolted her mind. Her head slightly turned to see a face by the window.

She let out a half shriek as she backed off of Leon. The car horn honked when she accidently bumped into the steering wheel. The sound made her jump up a little and hit her head on the ceiling of the car.

"Shimatta!"

Her head landed right back onto Leon.

He couldn't decide whether to laugh or glare at the blonde at the window.

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AN: Ok, you knew this was coming. Yuri was a-hunting. :P


	87. Chapter 87

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After righting the seat and Yuri got his laughter under control, the blonde man spoke past the window.

"I need to borrow Leon for a bit."

Sora, head stinging and thoroughly embarrassed, quickly mumbled something. Leon shook his head at her. He opened the door—Yuri moved away for Leon to do so—and shifted Sora onto the driver's seat.

Before he completely got out, she reached a hand out to grab his forearm.

"Are we still good for Saturday?"

His hand tilted her head up for him to nip her nose. "Perhaps."

With a smile, she smoothed his hair over and then released him with a quick peck.

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Leon watched Sora walking away from the parking lot.

"So," Yuri started with clear amusement highlighting his voice, "I see that the rumors are true."

A silver brow ticked. His eyes moved to the blonde.

"You wanted to talk to me about something."

Yuri gave a quick laugh. He didn't really expect the stoic man to respond to that last statement. "Yes, I do. I have an idea for your speed challenge that will be more interesting than the current one." He hooked his thumbs into his pant pockets. "I thought you would like to join me in Kalos' office as I run the plan by both him and Mia."

Leon leaned back against his car. "Isn't it late to be presenting new ideas? We have the next run-through coming up; it would be more of a hassle to try to incorporate something new into the scene."

Yuri's easy smile stayed. "It will be worth the hassle, I'm sure of it."

Withholding a rolling of his eyes, Leon straightened up. When Yuri saw that, he began walking towards the Kaleido Stage building.

Leon followed after a few moments.

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	88. Chapter 88

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Sora paused in pouring the tea.

From the kitchen area, she turned around to look at Leon sitting on the couch. "Yuri wants to do what?"

Leon sighed as he ran a hand down his face. "He wants to have Rosetta in the scene so that we can use her diabolos." The man's head fell onto the back of the couch. "There will be a network of ropes that I will have to maneuver through while Rosetta releases diabolos into the ropes, which I have to collect within a short amount of time."

Sora winced. She's had her dealings with diabolos. 'Those suckers bounce pretty easily off of ropes and other things.'

"And the Boss was ok with that?"

At Leon's nod, she let out a huff. "But it's too late to be re-learning scenes!"

"I know."

"You and Rosetta are going to have to put a lot of time familiarizing yourselves with the setup!"

"Yes."

"And within a short time frame!"

Leon silently sighed. He heard her continuing to rant for him as she finished pouring the tea and putting them onto a tray.

She stomped over in her fuzzy socks. The tray was placed on the low table a little forcefully. He was handed his tea when she suddenly stilled in movement and in speech.

He arched a brow.

"We probably won't be able to meet as often." Her fingers curled around her mug.

He sighed again. "No. Which leads me to the next topic," he saw her brows furrow, "I won't be able to make the morning practices for a while." He took a sip of his tea, "At least, not until I have the new routine memorized and Kalos ok's it at the next run-through."

Her brows lowered. She took a drink of her own tea.

Leon put his mug down on the coaster. "I learn fast," he murmured as the back of his fingers stroked her arm.

She gave a small smile at his comforting gesture.

Then, with a bit of mischief, her eyes slanted over to him. "So do I."

His eyes took in the attractive quirk of her lips. "You do," he lowly acknowledged. His hand stopped stroking her in order to grab her mug and place it on the table. "I'm not sure if you are good about retaining what you learn."

She allowed herself to be baited. "I don't know," she said with a shrug. Her fingers twirled around a lock of his hair and lightly tugged it. "Why don't we find out?"

He allowed himself to answer her beckoning.

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AN: Thank you all for the views and the reviews! I'm happy there are people still drawn to this story! :)


	89. Chapter 89

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Rosetta stiffly stood between Leon and Yuri.

'Nothing else has ever made me feel short than practically being sandwiched by two really tall guys.' Her mint eyes darted from one to the other.

"Sooo…how many diabolos am I sending at a time?"

Leon's frost eyes and Yuri's friendly eyes made her head hurt. 'Am I supposed to be feeling intimidated or calm?'

Her mind couldn't decide.

Yuri responded first. "Eventually, all of them. But for now, let's start with one."

If possible, Leon's eyes grew a little colder. She was so glad that he wasn't directing that look at her! Seeing it alone gave her a chill.

"I need to get a feel for the set-up first before we start with the diabolos." Leon crossed his arms. "That is the logical place to start."

The atmosphere was getting a little tense. Nervously, Rosetta asked, "After that, did you want me to get Sora?"

Leon's brows slightly furrowed.

Yuri spoke. "Ah, that is not necessary." Seeing Leon's stare, Yuri turned to address him, "It's a part of the challenges, but I didn't want you to know about it yet. Not until the next run-through."

Rosetta sheepishly shifted her feet. "Sorry. I didn't know. Mia and Sora had mentioned it in passing."

The tensed some more as Leon's eyes narrowed. Then, it eased as he walked over to the ropes.

"Start the timer," he impassively called out.

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AN: Don't think I've forgotten about the "Yuri/Sora" issue in Leon's mind. :P


	90. Chapter 90

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Sora balanced on the ladder as she unscrewed a light bulb.

Sarah was at the bottom of the ladder to make sure it didn't wobble.

"Thanks again for doing this! You're a sweetie pie!"

"It's no problem!" The light bulb came loose. She tucked it into her sweater pocket and pulled out the new one. Before she had climbed up, she had taken a quick look at Sarah's left hand.

Sora had been a bit disappointed to see no engagement ring there. 'What's the Boss waiting for?' She blew her bangs in slight frustration.

"So, Sora, have you tried that new tea I've given you?"

Sora briefly looked over at her friend and dorm supervisor. "Not yet, I want Leon to try it too. It sounds like a blend he'd like."

Sarah gave a big smile. "Well once you do, let me know if you need anymore and I'll be happy to get some! I got it from a fascinating little shop my teacher recommended to me."

Sora flinched. She's met some of the people Sarah learns from; she was still wondering where Sarah found them. 'I'm still not sure if they're credible teachers.'

"Heh heh…yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

Maybe she shouldn't offer it to Leon.

The light bulb stopped turning. "Done!"

Sora was making her way down the steps when Rosetta was coming towards them.

"Oh hey! How was practice?"

The younger girl was fidgeting in place. Sora and Sarah shared a look.

"Rosetta, did something go wrong?"

"Ah, no; not really, it's just-I said something I shouldn't have." With a sheepish shrug, Rosetta continued, "I mentioned that Yuri wanted you in one of the challenges, but I didn't know Leon wasn't supposed to have known."

Sora frowned a little. "Yuri said he was going to discuss it with Leon."

"Maybe he meant at a much later date," Sarah offered.

"Maybe," Sora idly repeated.

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	91. Chapter 91

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After helping Sarah put the ladder away, Sora walked back to her room.

Leon was standing in front of her door. Her eyes lit up and then scrutinized his expression. 'He's in one of his moods again.' She found that it was happening more frequently.

"Hey brooding stranger."

When she came closer, he stepped aside so she could unlock the door. With a half grin, she turned around to face him and leaned against the door frame.

"Can I interest you in a cup of tea?"

Grey eyes took in the tilt of her hip and how it added an alluring curve to her pose.

"Perhaps."

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Leon sat at the table as she filled up the kettle.

"So how was practice?"

He let out a neutral sound. "Still needs work." He stretched his legs out under the table. "We're starting up again soon; I have half an hour left."

The kettle clonked onto the stove. "Oh."

Her fingers turned on the burner and then she made her way to the fridge.

"Did you want a snack or something?" Her hands rummaged through and picked up a container. "I have some leftover stir-fry." With a little laugh, she added, "May toned down on the spices for this one."

Leon declined. He leaned back in his chair as Sora moved over to the cupboards for the mugs.

"Your friend says that you are part of a challenge for the show."

Sora nodded as she put the mugs on the counter. "Yeah. Yuri said he'd tell you about it." She briefly looked over her shoulder, "I'm guessing he was going to say when we're closer to the run-through. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Playfully, she stuck out her tongue, "So don't even try to weasel it out of me, mister."

Leon softly scoffed. "That's not why I brought it up."

She moved over to the cabinet for her tea tin, but kept her head angled towards him as she waited for him to continue. Leon's finger tapped the table as he thought.

"You have been practicing with him, then?"

"Just twice. There's really not much for me to do."

He "hnned" and then turned his attention back to her form. She paused in lifting the kettle. Her eyes scrutinized his face. He kept his gaze on her before he turned it away.

She bit back the urge to shake him out of his funk.

With a silent sigh, she went back to fixing their tea. Her eyes watched as the hot water poured over the small tea strainer with the loose tea. 'Heated water changes the drink,' she idly thought. Her hand decisively placed the kettle back onto the stove.

Leon was a bit startled by the screeching of a chair as Sora dragged it in front of him.

She plopped herself into the seat. "Alright. What's eating at you?"

He raised a brow.

"What's grinding your gears? What's got your goat?" Her hand stilled his hand tapping the table. "Something's up with you; I think you want to ask me about something, but you think I might shy away from answering it."

His eyes looked at their hands.

"I'll answer it," she softly murmured, "whatever it is."

He turned his hand over so that they were palm to palm. Lightly, his fingers stroked the inside of her wrist. Little shivers went up her arm. His eyes moved away from their hands.

Quietly, he asked, "When did you realize you had an interest in me?"

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	92. Chapter 92

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Her eyes rapidly blinked.

It wasn't lost on her that he had asked the very same question she had back when they were starting to date. She just couldn't figure out why he wanted to know that.

'Didn't he already tell me when he thought I was showing interest?'

She didn't think she'd fully comprehend what went through his mind sometimes. Her face must have shown something along the lines of confusion for the corner of his eyes slightly lifted up.

"The Swan Lake performance was _not _of the beginning of your interest in me," he smugly told her.

Her cheeks flamed at his audacity. This was not what she was expecting him to ask her. Though, she _did _say she'd answer whatever question he had. 'Me and my big mouth…'

"W-What sort of _interest _are you looking for?"

He lightly shrugged. "Any sort."

Her free hand fiddled with her hair as she thought.

When he first came, she did think he was somewhat good looking—who couldn't think so?—especially with that silver hair of his. But it was his overall demeanor that prevented her from crushing on him like Mia and Marion did.

He was cold and she didn't know how to interact with someone like him.

Sure, Layla was of a similar aloofness, but through the performances she saw, Sora could tell that there was something alive in her former partner, something that she could feel connected to and form a friendship with.

With Leon, she couldn't find that, even when he performed.

His abilities were phenomenal; she could readily agree with that. However, it sort of reminded her of Rosetta, back when she forgot how to enjoy performing. Her friend got lost in the competitions and with endless practices to make sure her techniques were flawless. The heart of her performances wasn't there.

Initially, she thought that maybe it was the same case with Leon.

Being at the Kaleido Stage had awakened Rosetta's heart; she hoped the same would occur with the silver haired young man. But only more strife was brought the longer he stayed, especially when May entered the scene.

Every once in a while she'd see something flit through his ice gaze. To this day, she still doesn't quite know what he was thinking about.

It really wasn't until the test he gave her for the Circus Festival that she'd see that "something" lingering in his eyes for longer stretches of time.

When she came back to the Kaleido Stage, his face was an unreadable whirlwind. She couldn't fathom what he was thinking about.

The reappearance of Sophie seemed to have jolted him awake, though to her, it didn't look like he knew how to handle it. She could still remember freaking out when he approached her on the street that one night. He looked so out of sorts, the change unsettled her.

But when he pushed her out of the way of traffic and looked her over to make sure she was ok, the new change in his eyes evaporated the unsettled feeling from her.

After that night, she realized there was something relatable behind that ice.

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	93. Chapter 93

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"…Around the time when May and you did Romeo and Juliet," she softly started, "I realized that I wanted to know more about you."

She turned his hand over, palm up. Her hands pushed his sleeve up a little in order to trace the veins along his arm. "You were only ice," she murmured, "until I saw that I had judged you wrong."

There was silence for a little bit as both watched her fingers moving back and forth.

"After my parents died, there was a time when I didn't know how to act in my new home. I was glad that my uncle and aunt took me in, but I was also sad that I wasn't back in my old home, in my old room, watching silly cartoons with my own parents."

She softly sighed. "For some reason, I had it in my head that if I didn't seem happy, I wouldn't be able to live there anymore, so I'd have nowhere else to be." She let out a wistful look. "Such conflicting feelings…I hadn't known that they'd understand. I thought they'd be upset. So I hid it away behind a smile."

Her fingers laid flat on his palm.

"For days it built up inside of me until my aunt noticed something was off with my behavior. When she asked me if something was wrong, I couldn't stop crying." She looked up at Leon with a half-smile, "I went through half a box of tissues."

He softly snorted, but said nothing else.

"I still hide things with a smile sometimes," she lightly shrugged, "old habits are hard to get rid of, I guess." She tentatively finished her story with, "I saw your ice as the same as my cover-up smile."

His eyes gleamed with an emotion until it was chilled behind a thin wall.

"Long story short, I wanted to get to know you around Rome and Juliet. As for…er…something like a crush…" her fingers nervously wiggled against his palm, "I think I'd have to say midway through the Angel's Maneuver training for the Swan Lake performance."

Her fingers continued their erratic dance when Leon's hand gently curled around them.

The thin wall that had instinctively gone up eased back down. Her eyes marveled at the shifting emotions in those grey eyes.

"Thank you for telling me," he quietly said.

"N-No problem," she stammered.

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	94. Chapter 94

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Story done, she decided that they should probably drink the tea while it was still hot.

Leon had others plans.

She eeped when he pulled her chair closer. With one hand around her fingers, his other hand came up along her face. When his forehead rested on hers, she lightly blushed. His eyes were a lot closer now and she could see them lidding a little as she continued to watch him.

"Leon?" she softly whispered.

The hand holding hers lifted it to rest on his shoulder. She kept her hand there when he released it. Both hands cupped her face. His thumbs lightly grazed her jawbone.

Her eyes rounded as he leaned forward. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest.

'I…I think he's going to do it.'

His hands tilted her face up. She softly gasped at the warmth in his eyes.

Lips softly brushed. Her hand slowly went around his neck.

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Leon hadn't planned on kissing her here, in her kitchen area at her table, of all places.

Even his car would be more romantic than the kitchen.

But he couldn't help it. The way she spoke about her feelings and even shared such a personal story with him…and most importantly how she was able to see what his ice was and _understood_ why its presence was there…

She hadn't scolded him for it, though he was sure he'd more than deserve it.

She hadn't lectured him about stopping that habit—she had actually revealed a similar habit _she _has. He had a feeling that not every smile was genuine, not to say that she was being insincere. It was a defense mechanism, but unlike his, it not only protected herself, but those around her.

Or at least, an attempt to protect.

It was a rather selfless and yet reckless thing to do. But like she didn't lecture him about it, he couldn't find it in him to lecture her about it.

It was a part of her personality.

He knew his behavior was upsetting her. He couldn't muster up the ability to voice his concerns. They seemed so ridiculous in his head, he was positive it would sound absurd out loud. To admit to these insecurities, these meaningless fears sprouted from _gossip_…he was too proud for that.

But he'd seen the way they got along when Yuri talked with her. He'd seen the way others got along with both of them while he, in comparison…

He was a terrible talker. His personality wasn't outgoing nor did he feel motivated to _make _it so.

The way he saw it, he is as he is. People can accept that, deal with it somehow, or just not approach him. It's simple and it's easy to do with no hassle on his end.

She understands that.

Except for the autographs, she doesn't force him to do things he wasn't comfortable with. She'd sometimes test the waters, see where his comfort level was and what things were off limits. Other than those incidents, she didn't really push him.

Even earlier, when she was asking him what was wrong, she was trying to make the question comfortable for him.

He hadn't directly asked what was on his mind, but it was related.

Strange as it sounded, he needed to hear it. With all of this uncertainty, he wanted some clarity. He wanted to hear her admit to having feelings for him earlier than she had previously insinuated they began.

Swan Lake wasn't early enough.

She had concerns for him a lot earlier than that.

Why else did she make those attempts to talk and get along with him backstage during the Romeo and Juliet performances?

Why else did she blush when he held her as they performed together for the first time since the Saiyuki show? While he wasn't prepared to look outside of his grief yet, he had noticed the tinting of her cheeks, but didn't delve too deeply as to why it was there.

Then in the hospital, she routinely came by to switch the flowers she got him until he was released. She'd talk to him as she tossed out the wilting flowers. The topics ranged from how he was doing, how the stage was doing, what the others were up to…only the first talk did she attempt to find out who Sophie was. When he told her to leave it alone, she did.

Hearing her finally admit that she cared about him before Swan Lake filled him with euphoria.

His thoughts of late had him dwelling on a past that didn't involve him.

He was missing the present. He was missing the tender moments that could happen between them. That was a bigger concern than her relationship—whether it occurred or not—with Yuri.

She was here with him.

That was the main point.

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	95. Chapter 95

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The soft brushes made her lips tingle.

But they did not last for long.

His hands gently pulled her face forward as he leaned even more down. Her hand quickly grasped his shirt as his mouth melded them together. She was hard pressed to simply call it a kiss. The way he moved, slowly, but with a firm weight and connection between them could not be something so simple.

'It's seduction,' she vaguely realized as his head angled abruptly. An electric shiver went down her spine as his mouth eased her lips apart with little effort.

'It's fire,' she whimpered—whether out loud or only in her head, she wasn't sure nor did she care. He was pressing against her, goading her tongue to tangle with his, to join him in this heat of impassioned bliss. Her hand urgently pulled his head closer to hers.

His arm slipped around her waist and pulled her out of her chair.

His hand gripped her red locks as he kept the kiss deep. Her arms wrapped around him as she leaned against his sitting form. She couldn't keep quiet, not with a kiss like this, though she idly noted that he wasn't silent either.

He was leading her into oblivion. She found that she rather liked it.

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	96. Chapter 96

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People talk about mind blowing kisses, but they don't really mention what happens after receiving one.

When Leon broke it off, her legs felt like jelly.

She backed off so she could sit, but she forgot that it was really close. So she bumped into it, her wobbly legs _still_ somehow missed the chair and proceeded to sit down on nothing. Leon's hands quickly grabbed her forearms—preventing her from embarrassing herself further—and led her to sit on the actual chair.

"Are you alright?" he asked with clear amusement.

She blinked hard. Her head felt really light. "Ah, yeah…I think."

Her hands felt restless. 'Wasn't I doing something before we kissed?' Brown eyes blinked at the mugs still on the counter. She shot up, but then half sank as her legs weren't expecting that. Leon's hands came up to help, but she managed to stay up.

"W-Would you want some kettle? Er, tea—is it hot?" At his raised brow, she quickly blabbed out, "Not you, the water for kettle—tea!" Red faced, she whirled around to the counter. "You're having tea!"

She heard his chuckles coming closer. "You shouldn't be around the stove right now."

Her face burned. "Do you want some fridge then?" Her legs took her surprisingly fast to the refrigerator. Leon followed her at a slower pace. Before her hands remembered which side the fridge opened, Leon came upon her.

"I don't want any food," he murmured at her back.

She felt his fingers touch her hand. She turned around.

Leon entwined their fingers and pressed her against the fridge.

He kissed her again. Her other hand went to his hair. She gripped some of it as a mewl slipped out of her mouth. A tug let him know she wanted his attention. His mouth uncovered hers, but barely.

"Lego, Leon," she breathed out.

He had no idea what that was supposed to mean. When she saw the baffled look on his face, she giggled.

"My Lego magnet. It's digging into my neck."

He let her move off of the fridge. Leon tilted his head as something clung to her hair. He picked it out and held it up. She blinked at it a few times before she grabbed it with a laugh.

"My wizard's staff."

Strangely enough, that statement made sense to him.

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AN: Ah, the dangers of mind blowing kisses. :P


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